New Beck album out this week

by Rob Peters | July 6, 2008 at 03:29 pm

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Beck's latest, Modern Guilt, graces North American ears on July 8. I've had a chance to listen to it once through, and it's a slightly darker, moodier affair than what we're used to from Beck. The album is produced by Danger Mouse and features a guest appearance from Cat Power. My first impression is that it sounds like a modern take on '60s psychedelia, which is maybe why he feels guilty.

Modern Guilt is not all perfect, and it doesn't always match the crazy goodness of the advance song streams, but it's given us the first Beck album since 2002's Sea Change that we're digging almost from start to finish. And it's given us instant classic Beck turns via that grand slam, opening four track sequence. The fact that Beck can still parallel his highest moments eight LPs in as strong a testament to his enduring genius that we could ask for. With that we're putting "Gamma Ray" on the Happy-Birthday-America BBQ playlist. You should, too.

Modern Guilt is out in Europe and the UK on 7/7 via XL and in North America on 7/8 via DGC. Congratulate Beck in person:

8/22 - San Francisco, CA @ Outside Lands Festival
8/24 - Bend, OR @ Les Schwab Amphiteater
8/30 - Seattle, WA @ Bumbershoot Festival
9/20 - Hollywood, CA @ Hollywood Bowl
9/27 - Austin, TX @ Austin City Limits Festival