Retro-funk/rap/country/rock loser guru Beck has hit #4 on the US album charts after selling 85,000 copies of his new record Modern Guilt in the first week of its release.

The Modern Guilt vinyl release will be one of a kind too…just like Beck! Awwwww. Check it:

The vinyl edition of Modern Guilt, in stores July 22, includes download codes for high-fidelity (320 kbps) MP3s produced from a playback of the vinyl master. In other words, the first MP3 starts with a needle drop, and the ten MP3s will sound like a vinyl playback. Leave it to Beck to invent the first mobile turntable.

Personally, I liked the introspective, contemplative Beck we heard on Sea Change over the super robot white-boy rapper of every other album he’s produced. But either way, he’s still a cultural phenomenon. Fucker…

Since it’s been a whole three posts since anyone blogged about Beck, I figure I’d post the tour dates he just announced by posting delicious copy pasta culled from the press release:

Beck has announced a series of US tour dates to follow his previously announced summer festival appearances. The announcement comes on the heels of the release of Beck’s new album Modern Guilt, which Beck co-produced with Danger Mouse. Modern Guilt has already been declared a more-than-worthy addition to Beck’s discography - USA Today called the album “retro-contemporary fusion for the ages,” while Time calls the music “a joy… giddy retro-futurism.”

As always, Beck’s creativity extends into the presentation of his music. The vinyl edition of Modern Guilt, which will be in stores July 22, includes download codes for high-fidelity (320 kbps) MP3s produced from a playback of the vinyl master. In other words, the first MP3 starts with a needle drop, and the ten MP3s will sound like a vinyl playback. Leave it to Beck to invent the first mobile turntable.

See below for Beck’s U.S. summer/fall tour itinerary, newly announced dates are bold. Tickets for these new dates will go on sale the weekend of July 18/19, except for Kansas City which will go on sale Monday July 21st. See Beck.com for more information on ticket sales.

08/21/08 - Reno, NV - Grand Sierra Resort and Casino
08/22/08 - San Francisco, CA - Outside Lands Festival
08/24/08 - Bend, OR - Les Schwab Amphiteater
08/30/08 - Seattle, WA - Bumbershoot Festival
09/19/08 - San Diego, CA - Street Scene Festival
09/20/08 - Hollywood, CA - Hollywood Bowl
09/22/08 - Phoenix, AZ - Dodge Theater
09/23/08 - Albuquerque, NM - Kiva Auditorium
09/25/08 - El Paso, TX - Abraham Chavez Theatre
09/27/08 - Austin, TX - Zilker Park, Austin City Limits Festival
09/29/08 - Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theatre
09/30/08 - Minneapolis, MN - Wilkins Auditorium
10/02/08 - Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom
10/03/08 - Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom

Beck put out a new video for the song “Gamma Ray” and it definitely isn’t what I expected. It’s kinda psychedelic so I’ll give him a break on the new hairdo but not on being a Scientologist.

I love virtually everything Beck has ever done. But my not-so-secret hope is that someday he will release another lo-fi gem like Mellow Gold. With that said, here’s the video for “Pay No Mind (Snoozer).” Makes me feel funny, like climbing the rope in gym class.

“Chemtrails,” a track off Beck’s as-yet-untitled next record is currently streaming for your persusal on Mypsace and on Beck’s fancy pants web site Beck.com. I’ll tell you one thing, this track sure sounds like Beck! HAHAha…ha..haha…ummm. Here’s the related press release since I’m too lazy to think of anything creative to write:

While not a single, “Chemtrails” is a genre-bending tour de force that showcases Beck and producer Danger Mouse’s shared affection for late ’60s psych-pop as Beck takes his songwriting and performing skills in yet another bold, unforeseen and as always captivating new direction.

The album is slated for an early summer release. More info will be available soon, including the record’s title, release date and upcoming singles.

Beck embarks on a world tour beginning late June in Europe, hitting the States in time for several major festivals (Bumbershoot, Outside Lands, Austin City Limits) as well as his biggest ever hometown headline gig September 20 at the Hollywood Bowl.

Beck, the Foo Fighters and Alison Krauss with Robert Plant will be among the headliners for this year’s Austin City Limits Festival. Also performing will be Silversun Pickups, festival mainstay Manu Chao, N.E.R.D., flavor-of-the-week Vampire Weekend, The Mars Volta, Gnarls Barkley and Conor Oberst with the Mystic Band. There are also a whole bunch more signed on the play the three day fest, but it’s early and I’m not going to list them all.

Bottom line is, if you think of a band you’d want to see live, you can probably find them here. Last year’s ACL brought in over $11.3 million and hosted over 225,000 people, ranking as the fourth largest festival in the world.
If you’re the environmentally conscious type — and who isn’t nowadays — you can counterbalance all the waste you and your fellow festival goers are going to create for just an extra $5 over your ticket price. BeGreen is asking those attending ACL and this year’s Lollapalooza to go green and purchase a BeGreen Fan Tag.

Each Fan Tag is equal to offsetting 500 kWh of energy usage and will be used to purchase renewable energy credits from sources, such as solar, wind and biomass. Purchasers receive a unique, double-sided BeGreen Fan Tag sticker that can be displayed at the event to show off their environmental consciousness.

“Music has always been a great outlet for drawing attention to social issues and spurring change. We are very excited to partner with the organizers of these two major musical festivals to raise environmental awareness and do our part for Mother Earth,” said Gillan Taddune, chief environmental officer of Green Mountain Energy Company. “By giving concert-goers, through the Fan Tag, easy ways to decrease their impact on the environment, these festivals are showing a true commitment to fighting global warming.”

Through a partnership with the events’ organizers, C3 Presents, BeGreen also worked with the Austin City Limits Festival and Lollapalooza to make the two events 100 percent carbon neutral in 2008. This purchase of carbon offsets made from clean technologies like renewable energy credits balances out all of the show’s electricity usage, generators, staff travel and office-based emissions.

If you go to Austin, please be nice to the locals. They’re really cool, and they have infinite patience when putting up with outsiders, even if they do enjoy talking about you when you’re gone.