The last we heard from
Beck, he was in the process of recording his newest album with
Danger Mouse (of
Gnarls Barkley fame). After less than three months of intensive recording, the album — tentatively titled
Modern Guilt — is now complete.
"Intensive" is a word that perhaps doesn't do the recording process justice; according to Danger Mouse's new
Rolling Stone interview, Beck "is a machine." He would often work until 4 a.m., completely rewriting and re-recording songs several times over to get them just right.
Beck and Danger Mouse had known each other casually in the past, as many former members of Beck's band ended up playing with Gnarls Barkley at various points in time. However,
Guilt is
their first collaboration.
Beck was reportedly impressed with the depth of Danger Mouse's knowledge of esoteric '60s and '70s rock, so it's no surprise that the partnership between the two artists has produced 10 tracks replete with 1960s Brit-rock influence. This influence is especially noticeable on the title track, which has a heavy dose of
Zombies-style quirk and psychedelia, and a sense of early
Pink Floyd pervades the work.
While the original concept for the album was to create a work filled with short tracks, that idea didn't pan out as planned. According to Beck's chat with
RS, though he'd originally hoped the songs would be about two minutes long, "I got rid of all the short songs." The tracks that made the cut are enriched by guest performances by
Joey Waronker and
Chan Marshall (of
Cat Power).
Beck's publicist has said that there is no release date for the album yet, but reports have indicated that it could be available as early as June. This speedy release seems to echo Gnarls Barkley's recent pattern, and for them at least it's been effective. The timing might be just right considering that Beck
will soon be embarking upon a spate of dates, including the summer-festival circuit. You can catch him live everywhere from
Hove Festival in Norway to the
Austin City Limits Music Festival. If you're lucky, by the time those dates roll around you'll have an acute case of
Modern Guilt.
–
Abigail Milton
