XL Recordings

Writing about this track when it first streamed in advance of the album, Marc Hogan said, "'Orphans', one of two Modern Guilt trips just posted on Beck's iLike page, has Beach Boys-esque harmonies, backwards guitar effects, jangling strums, reverberant tambourines, and other Sgt. Pepper's-era standbys, but it's also got a booming ostinato bass line and snare-clapping drums. Better yet, Chan Marshall (aka Cat Power) adds her soft voice to those aforementioned Beach Boys-esque harmonies. The lyrics are typically inscrutable Beck, at least on a few quick listens, with lyrics about being stranded and 'fighting fire with your bare hands.'" The video adds little-- you get to watch Beck and his band performing the song in a bare white studio while he wears that new hat he likes so much.

[from Modern Guilt; out now in the UK and Europe on XL and in North America on DGC]

Visit orphans.modernguilt.com to watch.

Photo by Eirik Lande

With his Modern Guilt on shelves the world over (on CD, anyway, but more on that later), Beck has just announced a handful of new tour dates in support of the disc. The new dates find Beck closing out the summer and ushering in the fall with shows aplenty in North America. Things kick off August 21 in Reno, Nevada.

Speaking of which, Modern Guilt hits stores on vinyl July 22 from Interscope. All ye who fear the dreaded jewelcase and opt for vinyl will also get the entire LP as 320 kbps MP3s, but with a twist: The first MP3 begins with the familiar sound of a needle hitting wax, and the MP3s, having been produced from a playback of the album's vinyl master, will sound like they would coming from your turntable. Why, how unnecessary!

"Leave it to Beck to invent the first mobile turntable," the press release claims. I dunno about all that.

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Beck has announced a number of dates in the US to support the release of his forthcoming album 'Modern Guilt' which is set to be released in the US on July 22.

[from Modern Guilt; out now on XL/ Interscope