Gnarls Beck-ley

It's hard to fault a guy for having the bravado and talent to release such an insignificant piece of work. I don't mean insignificant in the meaning that this is a bad record, there's just very little about it that stands out in comparison to Odelay and Midnite Vultures. Beck Hansen has never been afraid to let an audience into his inner sanctum that is his music. It's hard to believe the anthem for the whole emo world in "Loser" is over 12 years-old. Once you get over the fact that this album isn't reminiscent of those records in the mid to late 90s, you might appreciate its odd texture and disorientating structure.

All but one track produced by DJ Danger Mouse, you can definitely tell his hand was all over this record. Starting with the track, "Orphans," the sound of space is infinite. You've heard Beck do this on a couple of tracks on Sea Change, such as "Lonesome Tears," but never this deep or satisfying. While Sea Change had the feeling of a natural, flowing stream, Modern Guilt sounds like a mechanical, gnawing beast. Danger Mouse preserves the best of Beck with critical, precise drum samples that sometimes leave even Beck hanging off the polyrhythmic pattern. "Orphans," a fun-loving 60s melody with enough meat to keep you bobbing your head for days, has a dark interior. In fact, if there was one summation for this record, it could be that this may be the darkest record in which to dance alongside in his discography. "Cast out these creatures of woe/Who shatter themselves/Fighting the fire with bare hands," croons Beck. Danger Mouse and Beck weave ominous prognostications with obscure laser sounds, clapping hands, scratchy synths, and plugging bass lines like it's old hat.

And it does sound old. Beck sounds like some journeyman from your parent's generation. Fusing country rock with everything under the sun, there is a certain belief that he could mix a red and blue crayon in his hands and produce the perfect purple hue. In the first released single off of Modern Guilt, Beck decides to unleash the incredibly infectious tune, "Gamma Ray." Sounding like a B-side off of Gnarls Barkley's The Odd Couple, the use of space and reverb only serve to amplify this song's true spectrum. Starting with the toe-tapping guitar riff, Beck starts in with, "Trying to hold/Hold out for now/With these ice caps/Melting down." A true hippie at heart, California's son continues to unleash his fears and warnings under the soundscape of a Byrds' song played in fast forward.

It's undeniable to hear his angst bleeding out of tracks such as "Chemtrails" and "Volcano," resounding his struggles to appease everyone including himself. His darkest track on the album, "Chemtrails," recalls watching so many people drowning in seas swallowed by evil. To be a Beck fan, you do have to go through songs where Hansen can be self-effacing and deprecating and this is no different. However, even through these moments, where his voice lurches through the songs in a pathetic pace, there is a tranquil beauty there that begs for a compassionate ear.

"Youthless," one of my favorite tracks, is simple in design. With a crunching guitar riff juxtaposed with his voice dubbed in a stop and go fashion, the haunting track screams Abercrombie and Fitch and will, undoubtedly, be a staple at your local GAP. Timed under three minutes, this song is an implication of the record's length. Modern Guilt wasn't designed to mull itself over. 10 songs is all Beck needs to plant the seed and wait for the innocuous virus to sublimely take hold.

Perhaps it doesn't need re-mentioning, but this isn't Midnite Vultures and that's ok. Beck has chosen to ditch Carl Stephenson, The Dust Brothers, and Nigel Godrich for a collaboration that works with Danger Mouse. And though not really bringing anything completely fresh to the table, he manages to produce music that spirals in the shape of a double helix, taking his lyrics and melodies that are altogether parallel, yet joined at the hip. Born to a musician and visual artist, perhaps it's time to resign to the fact that making good music is in his DNA.


8/10

This. Is. Truth.