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Keep seeing news about the upcoming Modest Mouse album? Not sure what all the hype is about? Have no fear – a beginner’s guide is here.
Modest Mouse has always been that band for me. I can listen to any song from their collection on repeat anytime, online anywhere, no matter what mood is filling my head at the time. It wasn’t always that way, though. I tried the usual tricks: “Float On,” “Dashboard,” “Summer,” and a few choice hits in between.
It always felt the same – moderately pleasing mediocre indie pop rock – but that’s because I was missing a key element to Modest Mouse: Context. Context is everything with this band, and I mean everything. And that’s where we begin, with context:
This is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About
Even that title alone is thought provoking in the direst way. It reveals boredom. It reveals despair. Most of all, it reveals another key element to Modest Mouse: an introspective dive into, not only the songwriter’s psyche, but also into your own if you’re listening carefully enough.
If you’re going to start listening to Modest Mouse, you have no choice but to start from the beginning. So while we’re on the subject of context, this album was the band’s first release way back when in April of 1996. That’s right, I said 1996. Modest Mouse was born and bred in the ‘90s, but upon listening to this album it fits all too perfectly nestled with modern indie rock anthems. Further context: lead singer, guitarist, banjoist and songwriter Isaac Brock was a mere 21 years old on the release date of this album. The drummer, Jeremiah Green, was only 19. Their ages shed light on more than just their innate talent, but also the root of the angst in their lyrics. Like most bands with extensive catalogs, diehard fans often criticize their new work, like “Float On,” for being less introspective and more carefree, but Brock likely isn’t harboring teenage angst anymore – and that’s the power of context.
Modest Mouse joined forces somewhere between Seattle and Olympia, WA. As I’m sure you’re already aware, the early 1990s in Seattle were a rock music haven, raising Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and countless more. Modest Mouse took that grunge sound and added the more experimental Olympia twist – that twist is what, in part, paved the way for the indie rock music you know and love today. From Surfer Blood to Death Cab for Cutie, your most beloved indie bands were influenced by these humble beginnings.
To add some more context to your Modest Mouse perusal, this album was born in the pre-Internet era. Sure, grunge bands were making it big in Seattle and there was even a pretty thriving experimental scene in Olympia at the time, but indie rock bands did really not exist a national and international level. There were few others prior to Modest Mouse that helped to pave the way for mainstream appreciation of the genre, making this album’s success that much more impressive and influential.
A fair warning – this album weaves from lonely to angry to dance-crazed in the blink of an eye. Those extreme transitions and woven layers of emotion quickly became part of the unique Modest Mouse sound embedded into all of their work.
You’ll Love This If: You want to hear indie rock roots. You’re feeling anxious, depressed, lonely, sappy, or, most of all, hopeful.
Fave Tracks: Dramamine, Lounge, Head South
Lonesome Crowded West
One cannot simply listen to This is a Long Drive… without following it up with Lonesome Crowded West. The 1997 album is the perfect compliment to their debut, following up with the same profound themes and sounds. This album was the second release from the band and arguably the best.
As described in Pitchfork’s documentary (which should almost have its own section in this guide altogether) on the album, it’s one of the most thoughtful modern commentaries on development in the country that I, for one, have ever seen or heard. From the very beginning tracks like “Convenient Parking” and “Trailer Trash” take jabs at the society we live in in a delicate and direct way that will continue to be relatable to anyone that’s seen a strip mall.
After listening to the group’s first album, Brock’s frustration with society is no surprise to a listener. This time it comes with newfound curiosity with the world outside him, most likely sprouting from writing songs in the back of a crowded, traveling tour van. It’s raw, it’s gritty, it’s real.
You’ll Love This If: You liked This is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About. The two should really come as a package deal.
Fave Tracks: Teeth Like God’s Shoeshine, Doin’ the Cockroach, Trailer Trash, Heart Cooks Brain
We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
By golly, you’ve done it. You’ve heard their beginnings and you know where they’re coming from. Now it’s time to listen to where they’ve gone, because, by god, it’s a journey.
A lot of people that are just getting into this band tell me this is their favorite album. Their most recent album, this little piece of gold was released in 2007 via Epic Records. It holds much of the same beauty as the band’s earlier works – thought provoking lyricism, vocals that weave from gritty to pretty, layers of squealing and pulsing guitar riffs, and single songs that fit enough melodies to be two or three tunes in one – but this album brings an upbeat, cheerful vibe to even the most sullen lyricized verses. What’s more, the music is noticeably much more polished and produced. In other words, be ready for a transformation.
Bonus: Johnny Marr, legendary guitarist from The Smiths, joined the band for this album.
You’ll love this if: You’re a bonafide indie rock connoisseur just lookin’ for a good time.
Fave Tracks: Florida, Invisible, Little Motel
Good News for People that Love Bad News
We’re back to what you (probably) already know. This album’s got the hits: “Float On,” “The View,” “Ocean Breathes Salty” and the likes. And in going back to your roots with a little more context, you’ll have a greater appreciation for the more underrated songs like “Bukowski.”
This album was a great tipping point in the band’s career that really sparked their journey toward more produced, uplifting tracks as opposed to their raw beginnings. Whether it’s for better or worse, that’s for you to decide.
To add a little flair to your listening, The Flaming Lips even provide backing instrumentation in “The Good Times Are Killing Me,” but that’s almost a subject for another Beginner’s Guide entirely.
You’ll love this if: You came here from a love for “Float On.”
Fave Tracks: Bukowski, The World At Large, Satin in a Coffin
“Lampshades on Fire” single
This track was just released on December 16, marking the band’s first release since 2009’s No One’s First and You’re Next. It’s the first single off their upcoming 2015 album, Strangers to Ourselves, and carries many of the same characteristics as Good News For People Who Love Bad News. The single came with mixed reviews from fans, but no matter what you think of the “Lampshades on Fire,” it seems to me any progress in the band’s long-awaited release is good progress.
Final advice: The journey doesn’t end until you see Modest Mouse live, as rare and coveted as this can be some years. They’ve grown significantly as a band and now incorporate a slew of new instruments that give life to the songs that’s unavailable on the ‘bums. The band transforms all of the studio works into something recognizable, yet not nearly verbatim, like any good band should. Besides, who wouldn’t want to hear Brock’s wails live?