Music Review of Modern Guilt by Beck

[Dakota Evelyn]

"Beck" is an American indie/alternative artist from Los Angeles,
California. Although born as Bek David Campbell, he is known as Beck
or Beck Hansen on stage. Beck is mainly into making indie and
alternative music which covers folk rock, hip-hop, electronic, rock
and even blues. Beck is also known for being a multi-instrumentalist
where he plays guitar, keyboards, bass, drums, harmonica, percussion,
banjo, synthesizers and other instruments.
Modern Guilt dives in with folky opener "Orphans". It has a distant
bass sound in the beginning. Once the guitar enters and Beck voices
out, the track just hits the jackpot like that. It produces a country-
like atmosphere to it, folk and country rock altogether. Indie artist
Cat Power also known as Chan Marshall is also featured here to lend
her vocals to Beck. In the bridge, the additional flute is a thing to
watch out for. Very well-harmonized vocals on Orphans towards the end.
Very tempting opener that will haunt especially the adults.
"Gamma Ray" is a faster tempo track and i wouldn't mind if I've been
hit by Gamma Ray. The music itself speaks for itself. The vocals of
Beck just add extra pump and weight to the whole song. The bass and
drums keep re-looping themselves until they hit a climax further down
into the track. In the verse, the music seems to be taking a break and
slowly build itself for a breakthrough in the coming chorus. Every
phrase that Beck sings is followed by gospel-like backing vocals. I
just love the music on Gamma Ray, infectiously groovy!
"Chemtrails" is a track that suddenly slows down Modern Guilt's
momentum. Listening to Chemtrails revokes your imagination, you would
like you're dreaming. The piano and the synthesizers just create a
soundscape that is so unreal, you be dreaming away listening to
Chemtrails. Even Beck's vocals on Chemtrails blends in very well with
the music. Full of howls and moans to greatly enhance the atmosphere
of Chemtrails. The remaining one minute instrumental, you would enjoy
the beautiful violin that plays on just before the track ends and
fades into silence. What an experience!
"Modern Guilt" has a steady drum beats once it enters. Beck moans
through each phrase with his vocals. Combined with the music, Beck is
twisting his vocals here and there to accustom himself to Modern
Guilt. Entering the chorus, the guitar just comes plucking itself in
and it's really good, Beck just goes on with, "Modern guilt, I'm
stranded with nothing... Modern guilt, I'm under lock and key..." In
the bridge, the piano and violin speak for themselves. Beck just adds
in some vocal effects to complement the music. Until the end, the
whole track seems to be saving the best for last. It's very beautiful
and i find myself swaying away listening to it.
The bass in the beginning of "Youthless" really revs me up. It's very
tight and fast the way the bass is being played on Youthless. Even
Beck sings as if he's rapping softly at between intervals. When it
comes to the chorus, Beck just sings at a slightly higher pitch that
seems to be echoing itself through the chorus, "And they're helpless
and forgetting in the background holding nothing, and they're
youthless and pretending with their bare hands holding nothing..." The
synthesizers also seems to be having fun from here onwards, coming in
and out, creating some cute sounds at intervals that delight us.
Towards the end, cello enters and give some extra support to the bass.
Very smartly composed music, very tight!
"Walls" already surprises me in the beginning. The violin-like sound
created by synthesizers is really the core music on Walls. Beck just
sings on as the music goes on like that. Approaching the chorus,
there's a lady-like sound in the background, sometime i would think
that it's Alvin from The Chipmunks which is making those funny sounds.
Cat Power is again featured on this track in the chorus, where she
would join Beck, "Hey what are you gonna do, when those walls are
falling down, falling down on you..." The music on Walls just ends
almost the way it started. Weirdly good!
"Replica" is fast and delicate simultaneously. The beats on Replica
are tight and light. Due to a distant sound in the music, it makes the
whole track sort of delicate. Delicate enough you would also hear Beck
singing in a distant voice. Piano can also be heard in this track as
Beck sings. Nearing the end, the violin only comes in and the whole
track turns into an instrumental adventure before fading itself to
night.
"Soul Of A Man" sounds like a rock track for the army. The bass line
just follow every lyrics that Beck sings, like a chick following its
mother. Handclaps and guitar riffing can also be heard as Beck sings
through the track. When the chorus comes, the whole track seems to be
floating in mid-air and Beck goes, "Cold was the storm, that covered
the night..." Soul Of A Man is at times like a folk rock track that
would definitely be appeal to the old ages. It's not loud, but its
groovy beat will get onto you quietly.
"Profanity Prayers" is an upbeat track with infectious drum beats and
smart vocals that just know how to enter and exit. Beck can be heard
singing in a speedy voice in the verse. In the chorus, he just raises
his pitch and let go of his vocals that echo back to him, "Who's gonna
answer, profanity prayers, who's gonna answer, these profanity
prayers..." I also like the guitar that enters in the chorus, it has
this special rhythm with it. When Beck is not singing, the music just
plays itself out. And i have to say, it's really good!
Beck ends Modern Guilt with slow-driving "Volcano". Beck's voice on
this track gives a hint that he might be tired from all the singing
that he has done on Modern Guilt. Therefore he's taking it slow with
Volcano. When it comes to the first chorus, you would hear some
backing vocals helping Beck out when he goes, "I don't know what I've
seen, was it all an illusion? Or a mirage gone bad? I'm tired of evil,
and all that it feeds, but I don't know..." With the backing vocals,
it sounds really great as it adds the definitive weight to Volcano and
Beck's voice. Volcano is slow but it's able to gulp you down slowly
after listening to it a few times. Once you get the hook of it, you
would find it hard to drop it. Sometimes it's just beautiful!

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