BECK
MODERN GUILT
Beck's last album, 2006's The Information, came equipped with gewgaws like do-it-yourself cover art and a bonus disc of homemade music videos. For his latest, tentatively titled Modern Guilt, the L.A.-based musical morpher, 37, purposely did away with all that, chucking the bells and whistles and bringing in Gnarls Barkley's Danger Mouse to whittle the track list down to 10 focused, straightforward songs clocking in at a half-hour total. ''We initially had the ambition to make a modern psych-rock record, but something that wouldn't be written off as just retro indulgence,'' says Beck. ''And then different aspects of what we both do got in there, and the record grew, but really at the core of it was just 10 good songs, without all the gimmickry.'' (Scheduled release: Early summer)
TRACK BY TRACK
''Chemtrails''
The album's anticipated first single starts off softly but gets huge. It began with ''the idea of a man and woman watching the sun set,'' explains Beck, ''and they're looking at all these beautiful colors that are coming from the trails of jets — the idea that something so beautiful could come from something that's a by-product of something so industrial.''
''Orphans''
The very first day Beck and Danger Mouse met for work, they turned out Guilt's probable opener, a catchy piece of Cali pop featuring Cat Power (a.k.a. Chan Marshall). ''We brought her in, and she only had 45 minutes,'' explains Beck. ''But she's one of those singers who just opens her mouth and there's no work, no affectation.''
''Beggars Shoes''
On the surface a jaunty, '60s-sounding hit-the-highway song, ''Beggars'' is also after something deeper. Says Beck: ''I wanted this one to have the feeling of one of those Chuck Berry songs that straddles the line of being a song about cars, but then resonates with something else you can't put your finger on.''
