Modern Guilt

Modern Guilt
Studio album by Beck
Released	July 8, 2008
Recorded	2008 at Anonyme Studios, Los Angeles, California
Genre	Alternative rock
Length	33:33
Label	DGC XL (UK, EU)
Producer	Danger Mouse, Beck
Beck chronology
The Information (2006) Modern Guilt (2008)
Singles from Modern Guilt
"Chemtrails" Released: June 23, 2008 "Gamma Ray" Released: August 11, 2008 "Youthless" Released: 2008

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
The A.V. Club	(B)[2]
Billboard	(Positive)[3]
The Guardian	[4]
The Independent	[5]
NME	[6]
The Observer	(Very positive)[7]
PopMatters	[8]
Pitchfork Media	(7.0/10)[9]
Rolling Stone
Robert Christgau	[10]
The Times	[11]

Modern Guilt is the eleventh studio album by American alternative musician Beck. It was released on July 8, 2008.^[12] The album fulfills Beck's recording contract with Interscope Records.^{[13] [14]}

Modern Guilt features two contributions by Cat Power^[15] and was produced by Beck and Danger Mouse.^[16]

A vinyl edition of the album, including download codes for 320-kbit/s MP3s direct from the master vinyl, was released on July 22, 2008.^[17]

Reception

The album entered both the Billboard 200 and the Canadian Albums Chart at number four, and gave Beck his first ever Top 10 placing on the UK Albums Chart, peaking at number nine. The album has also been Beck's best charting album in Australia, reaching 13. In the US, the album sold 84,000 copies in its first week.^[18] Although successful, this does not match the first week sales of The Information, which were 99,000.^[18] In Canada, the album sold over 6,000 copies in its first week.^[19]

The album received generally positive reviews upon release, earning a rating of 77 out of 100 on Metacritic.^[20] Filter said of the album "Beck is somehow more aware while puffing out his waves of broken poetry as opposed to the casual seed-spitting he has been known to turn to,"^[20] and Allmusic said that it was "an effective dosage of 21st century paranoia."^[21] Some negative reviews, such as PopMatters, said that the album "lacks the unique resonating timbres one is accustomed to with Beck,"^[22] and The Guardian called it "a vanity project".^[23] In December 2008, Modern Guilt was nominated for Best Alternative Album at the 51st Grammy Awards, but it later lost to In Rainbows by Radiohead.

Accolades

Publication	Country	Accolade	Year	Rank
Q	UK	50 Best Albums of the Year	2008	#23[24]
Rolling Stone	US	50 Best Albums of the Year	2008	#8[25]
WERS Boston	US	50 Best Albums of the Year	2008	#6[26]

Acoustic sessions

In July through September 2009, Beck uploaded videos on a weekly basis of full band "unplugged" performances of each track on the record. These videos appeared exclusively on beck.com and vimeo.com. These acoustic sessions had been recorded earlier in the year, following Beck's tour of Japan. Four unspecified tracks are to be released on an official limited edition EP.

Release history

Region	Date	Label	Format	Catalog	Ref
World	July 8, 2008	DGC	Digital download	—	[27]
Argentina			CD	1775441
Australia				1775441
Canada				B001150702
United States				B0011507-02
			LP	B0011630-01
United Kingdom			CD	B001150702
		XL		XLCD369
			LP	XLLP 369
Europe
			CD	XLCD369

Track listing

All songs written by Beck except "Walls" written by Beck, Danger Mouse, Paul Guiot and Paul Piot.
Produced by Danger Mouse and Beck.

1. "Orphans" (with vocals by Chan Marshall, bass by Jason Falkner) – 3:15
2. "Gamma Ray" – 2:57
3. "Chemtrails" (with bass and guitar by Jason Falkner) – 4:40
4. "Modern Guilt" – 3:14
5. "Youthless" – 3:00
6. "Walls" (with vocals by Chan Marshall) – 2:22
   • samples from the track "Amour, Vacances et Baroque", from the 1969 library music album Dance and Mood Music Vol. 4
7. "Replica" – 3:25
8. "Soul of a Man" – 2:36
9. "Profanity Prayers" – 3:43
10. "Volcano" – 4:26

• Extended Version

1. "Vampire Voltage No.6" - 2:20
2. "Bonfire Blondes" - 2:26
3. "Half & Half" - 3:21
4. "Necessary Evil" - 3:35
5. "Gamma Ray" Video - 2:54
6. "Youthless" Video - 2:51
7. "Modern Guilt" Video - 3:14
8. "Replica" Video - 3:24

• Only available on United Kingdom iTunes Store^[28]

References

1. ^ "Modern Guilt - Beck". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r1396520. 
2. ^ "Beck: Modern Guilt". The A.V. Club. http://www.avclub.com/content/node/82445. 
3. ^ http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/content_display/reviews/albums/e3id1068ba907a57d3b04d74545a7b54f07^{[dead link]}
4. ^ "CD: Beck, Modern Guilt". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/jul/04/popandrock.filmandmusic13. 
5. ^ "Album: Beck, Modern Guilt (XL)". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-beck-modern-guilt-xl-859567.html. 
6. ^ "Track Reviews - Beck". NME. http://www.nme.com/reviews/beck/9782. 
7. ^ "The first 10: Beck, Modern Guilt". The Observer. http://music.guardian.co.uk/pop/story/0,,2284838,00.html. 
8. ^ "Beck: Modern Guilt". PopMatters. http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/60535/beck-modern-guilt/. 
9. ^ "Beck: Modern Guilt". Pitchfork Media. http://pitchforkmedia.com/reviews/albums/11977-modern-guilt/. 
10. ^ "CG: Beck". Robert Christgau. http://robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=beck. 
11. ^ http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/cd_reviews/article4263402.ece^{[dead link]}
12. ^ "Beck's Modern Guilt Album Art & Tracklist". Stereogum. http://stereogum.com/archives/album-art/becks-modern-guilt-album-art-tracklist_010385.html. Retrieved 2008-06-12. 
13. ^ "In the Studio: Beck Conjures 1960s Brit-Rock Vibe on Danger Mouse-Produced “Modern Guilt”". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/14367/76531. Retrieved 17 July 2010. 
14. ^ "New Beck Album Due This Summer". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003800132. Retrieved 2008-05-07. 
15. ^ "Beck Set to Release New Album, Stat!". MTV. 2008-05-05. http://newsroom.mtv.com/2008/05/05/beck-set-to-release-new-album-stat. Retrieved 2008-05-09. 
16. ^ Reynolds, Simon (2008-03-07). "Danger Mouse producing new Beck album". Digital Spy. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/a91062/danger-mouse-producing-new-beck-album.html. Retrieved 2008-04-26. 
17. ^ "Beck Announces Vinyl Release, Adds More Tourdates". Tiny Mix Tapes. 2008-07-17. http://www.tinymixtapes.com/Beck-Announces-Vinyl-Release-Adds. Retrieved 2008-07-19. 
18. ^ ^{a b} "Beck's 'Guilt' debuts at No. 4". Entertainment Weekly. July 16, 2008. http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2008/07/beck.html. Retrieved 2008-08-11. 
19. ^ Williams, John (July 16, 2008). "Beck's 'Guilt' makes fine debut". Jam!. http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/B/Beck/2008/07/16/6173461-ca.html. Retrieved 2011-04-06. 
20. ^ ^{a b} "Beck: Modern Guilt (2008): Reviews". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/beck/modernguilt?q=Beck. Retrieved 2008-08-11. 
21. ^ "allmusic ((( Modern Guilt > Review )))". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r1396520. Retrieved 2008-08-11. 
22. ^ "Beck: Modern Guilt < Review". Popmatters. http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/60535/beck-modern-guilt/. Retrieved 2008-08-11. 
23. ^ Fitzpatrick, Rob (2008-07-04). "CD: Beck, Modern Guilt". London: The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/jul/04/popandrock.filmandmusic13. Retrieved 2008-08-11. 
24. ^ Q Jan 09, pg.84
25. ^ "Search Articles, Artists, Reviews, Videos, Music and Movies". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/24958695/albums_of_the_year/31. Retrieved 2010-09-21. 
26. ^ WERS.org
27. ^ "Beck - Modern Guilt at Discogs". Discogs.com. http://www.discogs.com/Beck-Modern-Guilt/master/45563. Retrieved February 27, 2011. 
28. ^ "iTunes Store - Beck - Modern Guilt (Extended Version)". Itunes.apple.com. http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=304523640&s=143444. Retrieved 2010-09-21. 

External links

• http://www.modernguilt.com