Recorded in 10 weeks with production powerhouse Danger Mouse, Beck is back with his 10th studio album Modern Guilt. Catchy lo-fi goodness is the order of the day, with pop gems like ‘Gamma Ray’ and its tinny Beach Boys kick that’s catchy like the plague.

‘Chemtrails’ and ‘Modern Guilt’ give a nod to the ’60s through Beck’s floaty, dreamscape vocal melodies. All the tracks have a great propulsive beat that make this album burst with energy and an almost youthful glee. On ‘Walls’ an oriental melody drifts over Beck’s vocals and is emphasised with a drum line that sounds like Beck is attacking his trash cans but it works so well and creates one of the albums standout tracks. Beck’s ability to craft entirely different moods on his musically diverse albums is where he truly excels as a contemporary artist. As a result, Modern Guilt is a brilliant little pop album that is light on Beck’s trademark chaos yet heavy on melody, hooks and well crafted songs. Well worth a listen.

Joey Brown