http://www.nme.com/news/danger-mouse/34965



Danger Mouse produces new Beck album

Mar 7, 2008

Danger Mouse is producing Beck's new album.

The highly sought-after producer who is also one-half of Gnarls Barkley is making his mark on the follow-up to Beck's 2006 album 'The Information', according to HARP magazine and confirmed by Danger Mouse's publicist.

The album is said to be in the early stages of production.

Danger Mouse has also produced The Black Keys' new album, as well as Sparklehorse, The Rapture, Gorillaz and the late Ike Turner, among others.

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Beck's new album [title]Modern Guilt[/title], produced with Brian "Danger Mouse" Burton, will be released July 8, 2008.

The new album contains 10 new songs, and with the exception of last year's Grammy-nominated, digital-only single "Timebomb", Modern Guilt is the first new material Beck has written since the prolific stretch that produced 2005's platinum Guero and 2006's universally acclaimed The Information.

Modern Guilt is a tightly assembled group of songs that range in lyrical tone from introspection and social commentary to off the cuff wordplay and lighthearted humor. Musically, the album's ten tracks vacillate between economy and experimentation, hybrid and pop classicism, while consistently manifesting Beck and Danger Mouse's shared interest in psych-rock, folk, electronic minimalism and orchestration.

Beck is about to embark on a tour of the UK and Europe, followed by a number of US headline and festival appearances, culminating in Beck's biggest hometown headline show to date, September 20, 2008 at the Hollywood Bowl.

1. Orphans
2. Gamma Ray
3. Chemtrails
4. Modern Guilt
5. Youthless
6. Walls
7. Replica
8. Soul of A Man
9. Profanity Prayers
10. Volcano

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0019GAOI2/?tag=imwan-20

Cool. Beck is awesome. Minus the whole Scientology thing.

I've always found Beck albums to be front-loaded with good stuff and the remaining two-thirds filler. After the marvelous job Danger Mouse did on the Black Keys album, maybe he can pull an entire record out of Beck.

Listening to Guerro recently I can't help but think the Dust Brothers work really well with Beck. Guerro had some excellent work on there. His last album, The Information, wasn't as good but still had some strong songs. I think in the years ahead people will look back and be amazed at how little appreciation he gets for his music. For someone that was written off as being a "one hit wonder" (for "Loser") he's had a solid career. And he's got years to go. At least I hope so.

I'm glad he is not going to try and use up the entire CD, but 30 minutes is a tad thin...

Hi Linda:

I just got some interesting news on the vinyl piece coming out for this title on 07-15-08.

Supposedly they are going to master the vinyl at 320 bit rate. Yes a digital version of the Analog vinyl.

This is being done at the request of Beck's management and to appease the audiophile from
the information I received so far.

Supposedly this has never been done before but I know I will be corrected if that is not the case.

A press release is supposed to be forthcoming.

If I get it I will post it as soon as I can.

Thanks
Rebel007

Thanks, Rebel, but I'm not sure I follow this ... they're going to rip the digital version at 320 from the vinyl pressing rather than from the CD?

Linda:

I think it is reverse. They want to rip something thats sounds like a CD at 320 bit to LP. So I should have worded it to say a digital version of the CD on vinyl.

Rebel007

I'm confused. Won't they have to convert the digital version back to analog anyway when it gets transferred to vinyl? The less times you process a sound file, the better. If the source is analog, then the LP should be made directly from the analog tape.

If I'm understanding this correctly (and I'm not sure that I am!), rather than being done to make audiophiles happy, wouldn't this make audiophiles as upset as when the 1987 remastered Beatles vinyl turned out to be sourced from the same 16/44 versions that were used for the CDs? 320kbps is lower rez than what's on a CD, which in turn is lower rez than what an LP can store. A transfer of 320kbps audio to vinyl would still sound like 320kbps audio.

Much is being made about the short, 33-minute-or-so running time of this disc. Let's remember, the last two Beck discs have been prey for the expanded treatment...I smell one coming.

I was thinking the same thing. I bought The Information on the day it was released and lived to regret it when the deluxe version came out later. I'm not going to be in a hurry to get this one -- or any other new releases by well-known artists, as this practice is getting to be more and more commonplace.

I'm fine with CDs being 30-45 minutes long.

And this was a fun album and his performance in Seattle for BUmbershoot was great (once we got out of the rafters and down on teh ground)!