Who Love Bad News. I think I was just inspired to write about this due to Modest Mouse coming up on Pandora for me today. Anyway, this album was a big part of my life a few years ago, enough so that any "Jason c. 2005" soundtrack / mixtape would have to include something from this album. It made me like Modest Mouse, then really like Modest Mouse, then dislike Modest Mouse, then dislike myself, and finally just admit that I liked Modest Mouse sometimes.
Anyway, in 2004 / 2005, "Float On" was everywhere, and while it was likeable enough, the ringing guitar and Isaac Brock's sharp vocals gave the uninformed (and count me among them) the impression that Modest Mouse might be an updated Big Country or Dexy's Midnight Runners. Thankfully, I got my hands on a copy of this album and found that while "Float On" was the most outgoing song, it wasn't the only worthwhile track on the album by any means.
This album definitely wears its heart on its sleeve, for better or worse. It's very much a modern indie rock sound, with the guitar - sometimes blazing, sometimes tender, but always present - and Brock's half-screaming, half-pining vocals leading the charge. (The Dirty Dozen Brass Band makes a couple nice cameos here as well.) Not all of the songs are favorites, but the entire album is hard not to get behind. Even at its blaring, most raging moments, it is somewhat endearing. By the time the last track plays, it's difficult not to be weary from the weight of the emotions here, but it's also hard not to want to start the album over again.
"Float On" is a good place to start, though there are good tracks throughout the album. "Bukowski" and "Satin in a Coffin" are also decent starting points; I'm also partial to "This Devil's Workday" and, of course, who could deny "Dance Hall". "Blame it on the Tetons" is a nice counterpoint to the bitter vigor of some other tracks, and "The Good Times are Killing Me" is the very definition of bittersweet.
In short, maybe this album sounds a bit dated now, but it's a damn fine work and something that I'll probably always cherish for the nostalgia and the quality of the music itself. It's debatable whether this album is better than The Moon and Antarctica (which definitely warrants a future entry) but I would recommend it to anyone who isn't 100% metal but appreciates indie rock. Plus, enjoy the cover art:
In Other News:
Thank goodness for Friday. What a strange week.
How did I make it this far without blogging about Modest Mouse? Really?
