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Post by luke on Feb 13, 2006 11:51:37 GMT -5
(edited my last post, btw)
See, to me, Modest Mouse is the epic band. And I think that the perception that they’re a more direct pop band is why people completely don’t get the middle of Moon and Antarctica or “Trucker’s Atlas.” There’s tons of pop genius thrown in there, but when it comes down to it, the Mouse can only really be appreciated in album form. Whereas Built to Spill, I can Limewire a few choice tracks and be good to go.
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Post by luke on Feb 13, 2006 11:53:17 GMT -5
That album arguably ushered in the whole indie crossover thing, for sure. But that doesn't change the fact that it's far and away, no comparisons needed, their worst full length album.
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Post by Rit on Feb 13, 2006 11:55:21 GMT -5
thats true. i'd listen to it the least of all their albums.
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Post by luke on Feb 13, 2006 12:10:56 GMT -5
I see it like this:
Moon and Antarctica was supposed to be the breakthrough. And, y'know, it did get their name out there a lot. Miller Lite and mini-van commercials, non-stop play on Starbucks radio, and a massive indie presence. But it didn't catch on quite as much as needed.
So the next album was really an all-out attempt to steal the radio and bring down a couple anthems. And it succeeded. Which is great, I always wanted these guys to get as much success as possible, as they are probably my favorite current band and have been for years now. But unfortunately, it had to happen at a time when Brock was into being a bit of a sissy. So the album suffers from "Blame it on the Tetons" and some babies crying. It's still better than 95% of everything else out there, but it just doesn't hold up to the spirit of things in reflection to the rest of their catalogue.
Unrelated to anything arguable...
I remember being excited about getting it, and raving about it on the old boards. Then CWA came out of nowhere with this post that went, “Verdict on the new Modest Mouse album: It’s gay.”
And that really put things into perspective for me.
Not to mention reviewer after reviewer totally bash "Dance Hall", which is, to me, a quintissential Mouse song. That made me realize that Good News was being reviewed not as a real deal Mouse album, but as...get this...pussy emo shit.
Yeah, those last two bits are completely irrelevant to how good the album is, but still, it always bothered me.
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Post by luke on Feb 13, 2006 12:11:12 GMT -5
Man, I really need to ditch this avatar.
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Post by JesusLooksLikeMe on Feb 13, 2006 12:17:22 GMT -5
I'm in the middle ground on Ocean Breathes Salty. It's not a stinker like "Blame It On The Tetons" or, yeah, the baby crying. But it's not up there with the best stuff on the album: "Dance Hall", "Bury Me With It", "Float On", "The View", "The World at Large" and "Satin in a Coffin".
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Post by Rit on Feb 13, 2006 13:04:11 GMT -5
I see it like this: Moon and Antarctica was supposed to be the breakthrough. And, y'know, it did get their name out there a lot. Miller Lite and mini-van commercials, non-stop play on Starbucks radio, and a massive indie presence. But it didn't catch on quite as much as needed. So the next album was really an all-out attempt to steal the radio and bring down a couple anthems. And it succeeded. Which is great, I always wanted these guys to get as much success as possible, as they are probably my favorite current band and have been for years now. But unfortunately, it had to happen at a time when Brock was into being a bit of a sissy. So the album suffers from "Blame it on the Tetons" and some babies crying. It's still better than 95% of everything else out there, but it just doesn't hold up to the spirit of things in reflection to the rest of their catalogue. Unrelated to anything arguable... I remember being excited about getting it, and raving about it on the old boards. Then CWA came out of nowhere with this post that went, “Verdict on the new Modest Mouse album: It’s gay.” And that really put things into perspective for me. Not to mention reviewer after reviewer totally bash "Dance Hall", which is, to me, a quintissential Mouse song. That made me realize that Good News was being reviewed not as a real deal Mouse album, but as...get this...pussy emo shit. Yeah, those last two bits are completely irrelevant to how good the album is, but still, it always bothered me. shoot. i'd agree with pretty much all of that. that put a good perspective on the album. |
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Post by skvorisdeadsorta on Feb 13, 2006 13:20:01 GMT -5
Honestly, "Good News....." was much better than I thought it was going to be. I honestly thought that it was going to just suck. I had seen a couple of shows where they played some material off the record before it was releases and I just went, "yuck". It could be though, that while I love Modest Mouse, they are quite possibly one of the most inconsistent bands live. I've seen them be just brilliant. I have also been horribly embarrassed to be in the room with them at the same time.
I've always thought that Issac Brock, and god I love him, was nothing more than a slightly retarded Frank Black with a good knack for melodies. I think the lyrics on "Good News" were a little bit on the cheesy side and I'm not very fond of the title of the record anyway. All in all though, not a bad record, not a fantastic record, just a good one, which you can't say that about too many bands.
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Post by skvorisdeadsorta on Feb 13, 2006 13:23:16 GMT -5
My Top Five Modest Mouse Songs:
1.Edit The Sad Parts
2. Night On The Sun
3. I Came As A Rat
4. Dirty Fingernails
5. Talking Shit About A Pretty Sunset
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Post by Rit on Feb 13, 2006 13:28:14 GMT -5
"Night on the Sun" is super underrated. That is an awesome song. Also, they did another long tune.. what was the name of it, i cna't remember right now.
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Post by luke on Feb 13, 2006 13:32:55 GMT -5
Oooh, "Talking Shit About a Pretty Sunset." Probably my second favorite Mouse song, can't believe I forgot that thing!
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Post by JesusLooksLikeMe on Feb 13, 2006 13:55:13 GMT -5
"Talking Shit..." is a top notch song.
I'm not sure I'd describe Brock as a "retarded Frank Black" - there's something strangely idiot savant about him, but he also drops in these little nuanced lines and, hey, he wrote "Bukowski".
"Beach Side Property", "Bankrupt on Selling" - these are great lyrics. And where does this existential streak come form that runs through his work? It's some cleverness, hidden under the local DIY store gofer facade.
I also love the songs with distorted harmonics, especially where Brock is just murdering his whammy bar - Mechanical Birds, Novacain Stain, Tundra Desert, Exit Does Not Exist, Dramamine, Teeth Like God's Shoeshine, Dirty Fingernails etc. Fuckin' class.
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Post by skvorisdeadsorta on Feb 13, 2006 14:34:41 GMT -5
Oh the super weird whammy bar bended notes is their signature sound. He did it wihtout it being too wanky or Steve Vai-ish. That's just genius. I'm also a big fan of "Heart Cooks Brain" and the musical work on that record. What did you guys think of "Sad Sappy Sucker"?
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Post by JesusLooksLikeMe on Feb 13, 2006 15:40:20 GMT -5
What did you guys think of Sad Sappy Sucker? It's the last thing I bothered with - only had it a couple of weeks and about 3 listens. If their career is a lifetime, SSS is obviously the infant school years, but there's some fun stuff in there, and also a few songs where you see the beginnings of their signature sound - Birds vs Worms, It Always Rains on a Picnic, From Point A to Point B... I think it's their weakest long player though, especially if you strip out the context and judge it on the same footing as the other albums. |
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Post by JesusLooksLikeMe on Feb 13, 2006 15:45:22 GMT -5
Eric Judy is my favourite bassist. He's got a trippy sound all his own and just a great match for Brock.
The other thing about Sad Sappy Sucker is that I have no idea which all the 'proper' tracks and the original running order was meant to be, before they added all the weird 'dial-a-song' stuff. If anyone has the album listing as originally conceived I'd be curious.
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