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Beck Bounces United Palace Theatre
The Danger Mouse produced Modern Guilt proves America’s favorite “loser” is still relevant
Beck (Photo: Drew Brown)
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With the passing of Isaac Hayes in August, Beck has officially inherited the distinction of being the world’s funkiest scientologist. And thanks to the strength of his new album, the Celebrity Centre won’t stop bouncing any time soon.
Relentlessly creative, ricocheting between the melancholy and the absurd, alternative rock’s loveable “loser” is back on the road touring his new Danger Mouse-produced long player, Modern Guilt. He’ll hold court uptown this week in the United Palace Theatre for three shows that will likely continue his track record of audio/visual extravaganzas and certainly be worth the trek to Washington Heights. The proscenium arch of the old movie palace turned Holy Roller church cum-Bowery Presents main stage will be an ideal setting for the ultimate eclectic pop star.
With a grandfather who was a Fluxus artist and a mother who was a fixture at Andy Warhol’s Factory, Beck has restlessly innovative genes and continues to collaborate with the cutting-edge of the industry’s A-list—15 years into a stellar career. The roster includes the Dust Brothers (Beastie Boys), Nigel Godrich (Radiohead) and now a man who can match Beck’s own hybrid resume, Danger Mouse. Danger Mouse has enjoyed the kind of critical hot streak that Beck is all too familiar with: Gnarls Barkley, The Black Keys, Gorillaz and The Good the Bad and the Queen have all been recent beneficiaries of his golden touch.
Beck, a native Angeleno, made a seismic splash with Mellow Gold and Odelay, and has reeled off an arsenal of strong albums since. From slacker lo-fi to non-sequitor hip-hop to tropicalia and break-up folk, one gets the sense that Beck has a garage full of albums and a bottomless curiosity to explore as many genres as possible. His live performance is equally varied and entertaining. How many artists do you know who can guitar-strum a Scott Walker-esque tragic-folk number, perform with puppets and dance the robot within the same concert? The answer is nobody but Beck. The ageless wonder that is a successful father of two in his late 30s somehow still resembles that twenty-something “loser” who blew up the way we saw hip-hop do so many years ago.