Interscope
It’s been nearly 15 years since Geffen Records released Beck’s Mellow Gold and introduced the world to the gawky white kid who would one day become alt-rock royalty. Now, some seven records, two remix albums, and two EPs later, Beck has unleashed Modern Guilt-and the result is just as engaging and delightfully off-kilter as its predecessors. Mixing the whacked out noise samples from 2005’s Guero (see “Youthless”) with Sea Change-era melancholy and guest appearances by Cat Power (“Walls,” “Orphans”), Modern Guilt plays less like a rehashing of old Beck and more like a comprehensible reinvention. Highlights include the trippy, electro-tinged “Replica” and jazzy, piano-driven title track, but the success here lies in the whole package. Like those that came before it, Modern Guilt is yet another lesson in artistic creativity, taught by everyone’s favorite eccentric music teacher.