Record review: Beck, "Modern Guilt"

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By L. KENT WOLGAMOTT / GZO

3½ stars

After a few listens, I’m still not sure what to make of Beck’s “Modern Guilt,” except to say that rarely has the contrast between lyrics and the music in which the words are set been more stark.

Beck is clearly bummed out again — just like he was on 2004’s “Sea Change.” So the words here are morose at best, making the record a 34-minute song cycle of personal bleakness, with very little hope and no humor to be found anywhere.

But Beck has matched himself up with producer Danger Mouse (real name Brian Burton), who is half of Gnarls Barkley, the good-time duo that mixes and matches catchy melodies and beats to create true sonic joy.

So “Modern Guilt” has some cleverly composed, hooky tunes to wrap around Beck’s moaning and wailing. That leads to the dichotomy of “Chemtrails,” a beautiful song in which Beck sings about “so many people” who have been “swallowed up by evil.” Exactly who they are and how they were swallowed is left for us to sort out. Frankly, I’m not sure it’s worth the effort.

“Chemtrails” is followed by the title track, which bounces along with some beeps and blips and then when the words become clear in the sweet melody, it turns out the song’s about isolation and alienation — always a cheery subject.

There’s a little rock ’n’ roll trapped inside the record — most notably on the garage-y “Gamma Ray” and “Soul of a Man,” which is full of dirty guitar. But even at his most spirited, Danger Mouse can’t pull Beck out of his disillusioned bleakness, which makes “Modern Guilt” a bummer for the summer.