Beck Songs : Cover Songs & Music Videos Category

  • The Laptop Sessions: “Modern Guilt” (Beck Acoustic Rock Cover Song)

    Friday, August 8th, 2008

    By Chris Moore:

    Hello and welcome to yet another quality edition of the Laptop Sessions music blog, dedicated to bringing you the best cover songs on the web today!

    Today’s acoustic cover is Beck’s “Modern Guilt” off his 2008 album of the same name. I have to admit that I wasn’t sure how I would like the album, which came highly recommended from one of my students. But, being in an experimental mood and curious to try it out, I went out and picked it up. Beck works with Danger Mouse on this CD, and it is the latter’s drum beats that really propel the album as a whole. I’m usually not a fan of artificial drum sounds, but I think that they really work for some of these songs. In fact, the reason why I think I’m okay with the drum sounds is that they sounded so much like real drums to me until I read the liner notes in the booklet. Now, granted, I’m not the best judge of sounds in albums, so it may be really obvious that these are fake drums…

    For my tastes, the first third of the album is good, the middle third is excellent, and the final section is okay. “Modern Guilt” is track four and the first of my three favorite songs (tracks 4-6). Probably the most enjoyable part of playing this as an acoustic cover song is its beat and how it is fun to play in a staccato fashion with the strumming. Another fun aspect of playing this song as an acoustic version was that I really learned the words — I’d have to say one of my biggest criticisms of the album is that it has great lyrics… that I have a really difficult time understanding. It’s not that I don’t understand the lyrics themselves; in fact, I really like what these songs are about and how he has worded them. But, whether through his singing or the way the album was mixed, I have a difficult time hearing what he is saying.

    Well, that’s enough about new rock music for today. I’m going to echo Jim’s post from yesterday and urge you to keep checking back as Jim and I begin to post our collaborative videos; he, Becky, and I sat down last week and recorded several group sessions that are certain to impress.

    For now, you can tide yourself over by tuning in tomorrow for another excellent, all-new acoustic rock cover song from our very own Jeff Copperthite…

    See you next session!

    Download a FREE mp3 of this song at the Fusco-Moore Store by
    Clicking HERE! It’s on “The Laptop Sessions, Vol. 8″:

    free mp3s



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Beck Acoustic Rock Cover Songs and Free mp3 Downloads

Beck has been a figure in the new rock music scene since his first rock album was released in 1993. According to Wikipedia, this new rock music songwriter is “amongst the most idiosyncratic artists of 1990s and 2000s alternative rock.” Alternative music is probably the best genre under which to classify Beck, as his songwriting generally takes elements from many different theories of how to write a song. When you listen to new music from Beck, you’ll never quite be sure what to expect on an initial listen, as music reviews have—generally favorably—pointed out. On his 2008 release Modern Guilt, this indie music artist employed the company of fellow indie music artist Danger Mouse to provide new sounds, such as beats, to his tracks. Although this alternative music songwriter has been classified as anti-folk by some, he has listed one of his major influences as Bob Dylan, who in a way could be seen as having gone the way of anti-folk in his new music songwriting of the mid-sixties. Beck’s range really becomes clear when you consider the list of instruments he is proficient at playing and using in recording sessions or unplugged – guitars, piano, bass, drums, harmonica, sitar, and more. Although cover songs of his material seem to lack something that only he and his recording arrangements can provide, his songs are, at their roots, able to be translated to acoustic songs or, in this case, acoustic covers.