Jul
23
2008

Modern Guilt ***/****

posted by Justin at 11:50 pm.

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REVIEW

You can take Beck’s latest release (his eighth) to extraordinarily thoughtful levels, or simply for the great piece of music he has delivered up. This may be one of his more mainstream efforts in recent albums, but that does not mean the tracks are overly conventional or unoriginal. If John Lennon was feeling curious back in 1967, and somehow stumbled upon an all-knowledgeable supercomputer which knew past, present, future, and Lennon was to ask it what rock music would sound like in 2008, I really hope the machine would play ‘Youthless’ for Lennon (along with a lot of other things, this is a Beck review).

Beck is trying to make us feel guilty like himself, ultimately for not rallying as a generation - being unable to join against a cause. From our environmental crisis (”with these ice caps melting down/with the transistor sound”), to war and peace, and far into his own dreams of profanity, asking us who’s going to answer them. Beck is full of guilt, he is leaderless, and “youthless”. People, what should we be doing? Answering his prayers? Loving a ‘Gammy Ray’?

Alas, it’s up to you and what path you decide. But choice is only an illusion, Neo. I am going to ask you to make one small choice, though, go get this album and listen to it. From the opening song “Orphans”, Beck will immediately pull you in and it’ll *click*. His efforts are far from extraordinary, but I’ve enjoyed this album. I give it three stars out of four. Its downfalls appear in a few odd tracks that make up his ten songs of choice. You have to choose - Beck wants you to.

Beck - Youthless
Beck - Orphans
Beck - Profanity Prayers

Justin Cudmore: cudmore2@gmail.com

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