quote:

Originally posted by RavingLunatic:
To me, Moon and Antarctica is light-years ahead of anything else they've done.

Ah well then I don't know if we'd be on the same wavelength cuz I think the LCW and M & A are almost on par with each other with the latter having the advantage. But I'm checking out This is a Long Drive anyway. And ericg75, that EP is amazing just because of those first two songs alone, "Willful Suspension of Disbelief" and "Night on the Sun." "So much beauty in Dirt" and "Here it Comes" are both really good and "You're the good thing" is amazing also. "I Came as a Rat" is kinda unnecessary though but otherwise it is really great.

"Here it Comes" might actually be my favorite Modest Mouse song.

Goddamn I can't wait till they release their new ablum. I haven't heard a peep from them in way too long.

But in terms of their best album, I would have to say that Moon & Antarctica is their best and most ambitious album. However, my favorite Modest Mouse album is The Lonesome Crowded West. I love the fact that is less-polished than M & A. And I think the lyrics on TLCW are amazing.

"Cowboy Dan's a major player in the cowboy scene. Goes to the desert, drinks and gets mean. GOES to the desert, fires a rifle in the sky, says 'GOD if i have to die, you will have to die!'"

quote:

Originally posted by DCFan:
And I think the lyrics on TLCW are amazing.
"Cowboy Dan's a major player in the cowboy scene. Goes to the desert, drinks and gets mean. GOES to the desert, fires a rifle in the sky, says 'GOD if i have to die, you will have to die!'"

Totally agreed. While the lyrics on M & A may be greater simply because of their scope, I love how the lyrics on LCW all paint a portrait appropriate to the title of the album. M & A does this also but I guess I just like the personal images on LCW better sometimes. Anyway "Styrofoam Boots" are probably my favorite.

Well all's not well
but i'm told that it'll all be quite nice
you'll be drowned in boots like Mafia
but your feet will still float like Christ's
and i'll be damned
they were right
i'm drowning upside down
my feet afloat like Christ's
i'm in heaven
trying to figure out which stack
they're going to stuff us atheists into
when Peter and his monkey laugh
and i laugh with them
i'm not sure what at
they point and say
we'll keep you in the back
polishing halos, baking manna and gas
well some guy comes in looking a bit like everyone i ever seen
he moves just like crisco disco
breath 100% listerine
he says looking at something else
but directing everything to me
ever time anyone gets on their knees to pray
well it makes my telephone ring
and i'll be damned
he said you were right
no one's running this whole thing
he had a theory too
he said that god takes care of himself
and you of you

I know this isn't on topic but has anyone ever listened to M & A and heard it as a relationship record and how that relates to the cosmos and existence?

I mean 3rd Planet and Gravity Rides Everything are still during the relationship. E.g. Reminding us we used to be 3 and not just 2
Your hands and knees felt cold and wet on the grass to me
E.g. When we die, some sink and some lay, but at least I don't see you float away
All the spilt milk, sex, and weight, they all will fall right into place

Then you have Dark Center of the Universe which is him defending himself against his lover or whatevers attacking him by calling him the song title figuratively I guess, and you know showing her or whoever that he's "pretty damn sure anyone can easily, equally fuck ya over"

Then Perfect Disguise which is kinda the end of the relationship I guess cuz she "knocked me down, just so you can climb up."
Tiny Cities made of Ashes is kinda the nihilistic aftermath of the relationship where he sees everything as false and he wears "a T-Shirt that says the World is my Ash tray, our hearts pump dust and our hairs all gray" Then A Different City where he wants to escape to "live in a different city with no friends or family" where he'll "remember to remember to forget you forgot me"

Then you have the 3 songs Cold Part, Alone Down There, and Stars are Projectors which the first two kinda describe his isolation and introspection after the breakup after the breakup and Stars are Projectors is kinda a cosmic revelation that all of our lives originate elsewhere, so we are all in a way isolated(iffy I know), and he realizes that "Right Wing, Left Wing Chicken Wing, it's all about finding the easier way through" and wonders if there ever was a need for creation.

Yeah I guess Wild Pack of Family Dogs might be childhood reminiscence but that doesn't work out entirely cuz he kinda dies in the end.

Anyway Paper Thin Walls is kinda life as a poor man, perhaps after the breakup and I Came as A Rat is kinda the same thing, except I guess it expresses more aimlessness.
Lives, Life like Weeds, and What Humans are Made of kinda work together I feel. Lives is contemplation that ends in epiphany. "Everyone's afraid of their own life" and how "Nobody knows the one they love, if you knew everything they thought you'd just want them to shut up" (I believe this relates back to the relationship)and how "you recalled the sound of sharp math when you were alive, and know one's gonna play the harp for you when you die" and in the beginning he questions "Am I Right?" almost as a challenge to defy him but then he realizes "But it's our lives, and it's hard to remember we're alive, for the first time" and the last time, how short it is and how hard it is to remember because of how long it seems. Ultimately he concludes "My hell comes from inside, comes from inside myself, why fight this?" I feel this is a declaration of resignation, why should he fight himself, he should accept the suffering that his psyche reaps and so when he repeats the first line again and asks am I right he's actually questioning whether all of his speculation has even been correct or just been him spreading his personal hell everywhere. Life like Weeds is his reaching closure of the relationship declaring "In this life like weeds, you're a rock to me" i.e. You're irrelevant and I can reap nothing more from you. But he expresses hope or I guess MM's version of hope in the statement "In this life like Weeds, eyes need us to see, hearts need us to breath" that our hearts and minds "are just strings to be pulled" that it is up to us and others to use them but Brock declares to his former love "you're a rock to me." And the last song What People Are Made Of, hasa reinvigored MM declaring with the correct anger "Human Being Ain't Made of Nothing but Water and Shit." I guess Brock's taking himself out of the running for love.

For me, its between Lonesome Crowded West, Moon & Antarctica and Good News For People Who Love Bad News.

Lonesome Crowded West is probably their most emotionally naked record but lacks the overall quality of the other two on a musical level. Good News For People Who Love Bad News is an excellent record but seems uncomfortable in its own skin. It feels like a concise art-pop record is trying to break out but the band are unwilling to take such a leap stylistically and therefore pad those tunes with superflous material. However, their most enduring pop influenced creations exist here with 'Float On' and 'World At Large'.

For me, the finest is Moon & Antarctica which is not only the most consistent, but seems (as someone as already said) a "unifed vision". It manages to balance moments of new wave art pop and epic explorations with immense skill and stands as a truly excellent record and their strongest from start to finish.

1. The Moon & Antarctica
2. Lonesome Crowded West
3. This is a Long Drive for Something with No to Think About
4. Good News for People Who Love Bad News
5. Building Nothing Out of Something
6. Baron Von Bullshit Rides Again
7. Everywhere and His Nasty Parlour Tricks
8. The Fruit that Ate Itself
9. Sad Sappy Sucker

Modest Mouse is most definitely my favourite band. And I am so nervous about the upcoming "We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank".
I really hope they do not go past the line of Good News. I'll try to make an analogy using Built to Spill.
Built to Spill's best two albums, to me, are "There's Nothing Wrong With Love" and "Perfect From Now On". They are both classics, with the drawn-out, beautiful epic songs. "Keep it Like a Secret" went for shorter pop songs, but was pretty great. "You In Reverse" still sounds good per se, but it is so poppy that the band has kind of lost their epic feel.
Good News was like "Keep it Like a Secret To Me". It focused on poppier, shorter songs, but pulled it off pretty well. I am really hoping Modest Mouse pulls their music back toward The Moon & Antarctica rather than go the way of "You and Reverse". Because, yes, I am sure that the album will be sound good enough no matter how they decide to make it. I just hope that they can channel the energy of their earlier work to make something truly brilliant. I don't think the year 2006 hasn't had one such album yet.

I think that's a really good analogy. And I agree. And I guess I'll list:

1. Lonesome Crowded West
2. Moon & Antarctica
3. This is a Long Drive for Someone With Nothing to Think About
4. Building Nothing Out of something
5. good News For People Who Love Bad News
6. Sad Sappy Sucker
7. Everywhere and His Nasty Parlour Tricks
8. Baron Von Bullshit Rides Again
9. The Fruit That Ate Itself

I seem to be in the minority in thinking Sad Sappy Sucker is brilliant.

i'm nervous about the new album too. I don't think they will try to draw from their past--Isaac knows better than to believe that it can be re-created with as much truth as before. no, isaac will do something new this time, whether it be good or bad. my biggest wonder is how radio-friendly it will be. if he makes another hit like float on, modest mouse could be immortalized in rock history.. but who knows, maybe he isnt comfortable with all the new fame and the cheap "float on" fans. maybe the new album will not have anything radio-friendly on it at all.

either way i am pretty sure im gonna like it. i am praying for something as good as M&A, but i'll be quite satisfied with something on par with good news. i'm just not sure modest mouse has something like M&A in them any more.

I sort of hope the new album isn't too radio friendly. I'm usually not one to pretend I don't like a band just because they get popular, but Float On fans got pretty annoying. If you asked everyone at my school whether they were a Modest Mouse fan, you'd probably get over a hundred yes's. I'd say maybe 6 of them have heard even a single song recorded before Good News.

I'm sure Isaac Brock's main concern when writing an album is: "God, I hope everyone hates this, except for a handful of indie snob kids."

I'm posting in this thread before it gets popular.

quote:

Originally posted by ericg75:
I'm sure Isaac Brock's main concern when writing an album is: "God, I hope everyone hates this, except for a handful of indie snob kids."

that's one way of looking at it i guess.. the other way would be him making the music he wants to make and not being concerned about how it is perceived by anyone at all.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Gopher,

quote:

Originally posted by Gopher:
the other way would be him making the music he wants to make and not being concerned about how it is perceived by anyone at all.

I'm more inclined to believe this is the case. I was just making a joke because it seems like you and joji are both wishing he makes a less successful record.

for me it changes witrh how im feeling but probably something like this (the top 4 being extremely close):

1. Building sometihng out of nothing
2. Lonesome crowded west
3. moon and antarctica
4. This is a long drive
5. Fruit that ate itself
6. Everywhere and his nasty..
7. Sad sappy sucker
8. good news
9. Baron von bullshit

im looking forward to the new album, and im hoping i like it. but if i dont, no problem. they can make whatever kind of music they want. if i want to hear old modest mouse, ill jkust listen to the old mouse records. and if i dont want to do that, there is always plenty of good music coming out by all differnet aritists that i can listen to.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: robot,

quote:

Originally posted by ericg75:

quote:

Originally posted by Gopher:
the other way would be him making the music he wants to make and not being concerned about how it is perceived by anyone at all.

I'm more inclined to believe this is the case. I was just making a joke because it seems like you and joji are both wishing he makes a less successful record.

I'm not wishing he makes a less successful record. I would love for Modest Mouse to be more popular. I was just pointing out that Modest Mouse gained a ton of listeners with their last album, but most of those new listeners (at least people I know) were probably intimidated by their previous albums, and only know a few songs.

Isaac Brock described it as "a nautical balalaika carnival romp"
I'm not sure whether that means anything.

Don't be a snob.

"a nautical balalaika carnival romp" sounds to me kind of like GNFPWLBN. So i guess we can expect something similar sounding. not that there is anything wrong with that, of course. LCW had the same instrumentation and sound-ography (if i may) as Long Drive.

I disagree with the LCW and Long Drive comparison. I'm a huge Modest Mouse fan....I love their entire catalog. However, I think Long Drive is what you would expect for a debut...raw, experimental, even a little unsure. The Lonesome Crowded West is much more mature overall, and it's instrumentation reflects that...it actually made Modest Mouse become a little more accessible. It's also much more ambitious in combining various influences/genres/sounds. I think Long Drive actually sounds a little punk-ish, whereas The Lonesome Crowded West sounds like the title...cosmic, introspective, etc....basially, on Long Drive, Brock sounds (both in the music and vocals/lyrics) just pissed off. On the Lonesome Crowded West, he was better at channeling his anger and feelings.

quote:

Originally posted by Gopher:
"a nautical balalaika carnival romp" sounds to me kind of like GNFPWLBN. So i guess we can expect something similar sounding. not that there is anything wrong with that, of course. LCW had the same instrumentation and sound-ography (if i may) as Long Drive.

quote:

Originally posted by DCFan:
I disagree with the LCW and Long Drive comparison. I'm a huge Modest Mouse fan....I love their entire catalog. However, I think Long Drive is what you would expect for a debut...raw, experimental, even a little unsure. The Lonesome Crowded West is much more mature overall, and it's instrumentation reflects that...it actually made Modest Mouse become a little more accessible. It's also much more ambitious in combining various influences/genres/sounds. I think Long Drive actually sounds a little punk-ish, whereas The Lonesome Crowded West sounds like the title...cosmic, introspective, etc....basially, on Long Drive, Brock sounds (both in the music and vocals/lyrics) just pissed off. On the Lonesome Crowded West, he was better at channeling his anger and feelings.

yeah but how is the actual instrumentation different? the guitars sound the same. both have their share of raw-rock: shit luck and doin the cockroach vs tundra-desert and exit does not exist. also, both have their share of sentimental or more mature sounding songs: talking shit and dramamine vs trailer trash and bankrupt on selling. and you cant tell me that songs like ionizes and atomizes or mechanical birds arent as cosmic/introspective as heart cooks brain and styrofoam boots. overall i agree to some extent that LCW is a bit more polished, but generally i would say they have similar instrumentation, especially as compared to M&A, GNFPWLBN, and to a lesser extent, BNOOS. anyway, i am talking more about actual instrumentation and nothing else here.


No offense of course, just healthy debate from one mm fan to another. they are my favorite band by far.