Beck is like an old friend from college. You can go years without talking to one another, but as soon as you pick up the phone and begin a conversation, it’s like you just saw one another yesterday. The biggest difference between the two for me, however is that Beck’s got me beat with picking up that damned phone—while he just released The Information back in late ’06, there are probably more than a few friends I owe a damned call too since then.

While The Information served as one of my faves from ‘06, I have to admit that I went on a bit of a Beck bender, and after wearing out the disc and complimentary DVDs time and time again, I had to go on a sabbatical from the alterna-king. After I heard the news two months ago that Mr. Hansen was to bring forth his eighth installment of eclectic beats and spoken-word rhymes, I was pretty pumped. When I heard that Danger Mouse was the man assisting behind the scenes, I got even more stoked.

Which brings me to the now, sitting cross legged on my pink bed, head bobbing and shoulder shaking as I type with various hair dye chemicals on my head. I keep going back and forth in my head—what do I make of this Modern Guilt? Does it blow me away? No, not exactly . . . Is it what I envisioned as the bastard love child of one of today’s most genius musicians and hottest It producers? Hmmm . . . Cat Power’s on the album, right? (Actually, although she chimes in on the airy album opener “Orphans” and also the Gnarls Barkleyesque, bass-ridden “Walls,” I wouldn’t have even noticed her contributions without reading all the blog buzz ahead of time . . .) So does this mean it’s a miss? Or a hit? Or an eh?

My response is none of the above. It’s a solid Beck album. It’s definitely gone in a different direction than it seemed Hansen was heading with The Information and 05’s Guero/Guerolito. While the synth work is present, and Beck’s signature spoken/rap word style is still accounted for on multiple tracks, Modern Guilt delves into a more singing (yes, Beck singing! More so than rapping, talking, etc) and bass heavy, bluesy daydream trip. The album’s drawn comparisons to Sea Change, but I’ve gotta admit that Sea Change, along with Mutations, are the only two Beck records I do not possess in my overly populated CD library so I can’t fairly attest to that comparison.

I don’t think I’m in any position to say yet whether or not this is an amazing or disappointing release. I definitely think Modern Guilt will either infect me like a cold and I’ll end up kicking myself for saying anything bad later on, or I’ll listen to it 20 more times in the next month and forget about it until a lazy Sunday afternoon three years down the line.

It’s hard to say. But that being said, I will admit that the single “Gamma Ray” is ridiculously catchy, coming off as a Spaghetti Western alternarock gem—reminiscent perhaps of even the Mellow Gold or Odelay days. The track exemplifies all that is so radical about Beck—layered echoic synths, a fast paced bass bed that most musicians would kill to nab and a funky beat breakdown.

The only number on the album that rivals the addicting pop sound of “Gamma Ray” would be the title track itself, “Modern Guilt.” This sixth track also features an undeniable toe tapping bass line, filtered in with pianos, some signature beeps, guitar twangs and embracing Beck’s staple monotone singing style, all packaged together with the magical touch of Danger Mouse’s top notch production work.

Also notable are “Youthless,” a trance like dance number, the previously mentioned swanky folk Cat Power cameo track “Walls,” and the distorted, gritty “Profanity Prayer,” where Beck gets a bit falsetto action in with the never ending question chorus, “Who’s got an answer/for a Profanity Prayer.”

I think Beck fans will all take something different away from his latest effort. Where I think such melodically pretty, yet slower tracks as “Soul of a Man,” “Volcano” and “Chemtrails” are enjoyable filler for a record, I’m sure many others would disagree and look at this release as one of his best, or perhaps worst—or maybe like me, comfortably ranked somewhere in the upper middle.

I’m definitely feeling modernly guilty myself, wishing I could figure this album out. I guess I’ll have to wait until October, when Mr. Hansen hits up the Aragon here in Chicago with MGMT to see what his live set can do. I think that’ll be another few months worth waiting for—but in the meanwhile I think I’m gonna pick up my phone and call up some of those old friends of mine . . .