Na: Beck lands in Europe

How happy am I? We just go the new Beck album! Well… we got the new Beck album if you’re a European user. And I am a European user, so I’m happy - although it’s a selfish kind of happy.

I’d sort of let Beck fall by the wayside a little. Odelay was the sound of my sixth form common room and Midnite Vultures filled my student union bar, but after that, despite catching the occasional track on the radio, I’d filed Beck away in a box with ‘My So-Called Life,’ vintage slip dresses and other things I was fond of in the 90s. But this Modern Guilt? It’s really good.

He’s been working with producer Brian Burton, better known as Danger Mouse, and the result is a sort of lo-fi psychedelic folk-funk that sounds effortless. “Orphans” is classic Beck, the slouchy music belying the confusing intensity of the lyrics. “Volcano” is sad yet satisfying and “Gamma Ray” initially seems an almost flippant little bit of throwaway surf, but stays running through your mind long after the lights go out.

I’ve only had chance to listen to it a few times, but I have a feeling Modern Guilt will get more intricate and interesting the more attention I give it.