Soul music for the summer blues

Bruce Springsteen released his latest tracks on the internet; while Beck has refashioned his sound. These stars are a tonic to the pitch-shifting pabulum that fills the airwaves. And while their music might not show up on the radio, they do offer enjoyment and will brighten your long hot summer.

Magic Tour Highlights by Springsteen. Springsteen is in the ranks of those releasing music online. He dropped Magic Tour Highlights, a live EP, on to Apple's iTunes service to let fans catch audio and video from four recordings from the E Street Band's current tour and raise money for the Danny Federici Melanoma Fund, named after the band's keyboardist who died in April.  The songs include Federici's last appearance on July 4. Rage Against The Machine's Tom Morello guests on The Ghost of Tom Joad and provides guitar work. Definitely worth a listen.

Modern Guilt (Interscope, Dh65) by Beck: This new record, is co-produced by Danger Mouse (Gnarls Barkley, The Grey Album). It won't return Beck to the charts the way Loser and Where It's At made him a leading voice in the post-Nirvana era. Here, Beck's weary view of the world is submerged amid bleeping electronics and jittery mixes, leading some to complain that Beck is second to the music.  It doesn't make Modern Guilt any more of a fun ride, especially in material such as Orphans, where Beck admits that "he's stuck somewhere but I don't know where", or on Volcano where he intones: "I don't know where I've been – but I know where I'm going – to the volcano."