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Modest Mouse:
Good News for People Who Love Bad News
Whats happening to Modest Mouse? Ill tell you whats happening to them, but you are not going to like it. Those who are brave, read on. Ever since This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About came out in 1993, the quirky trio from Americas Northwest scene has been doing spaced-out prairie rock for the indie set. And whats more, Modest Mouse has been really good for an entire decade now. Over the past ten years, Modest Mouse has created its own unique sound, forging new ground and avoiding the musical status quo. The band has been the quintessence of indie cool for years, and with the release of Good News for People Who Love Bad News, Modest Mouse has morphed. Modest Mouse was formerly like that cool girl in your university classes that you wanted to be just like. You had to go out of your way to see her, but it was completely worth it. She seemed so visionary and inspiring. Unfortunately, nothing stays cool for very long. Now that youve graduated from school, it seems that the infamous classmate is everywhere. You see her at shows and bars. You notice that she talks too loud and laughs too much. Her opinions are now grating on you, and you realize that her fianc is ugly, to boot. Similarly, and excuse me while I wax nostalgic here, Modest Mouse used to be a little known outfit. I recall seeking out dive bars where my precious little indie rock gods were played on the sound system. Now they are being crammed down my throat. Theyre playing at the bar, at the pizza place, at the burrito joint, at the chain clothing store, and on the radio. Modest Mouse it everywhere. What was once charming is now played-out. Saddest of all, the quirky lo-fi quality, that once defined the band, is rapidly diminishing. If over-production threatened Modest Mouse on The Moon and Antarctica, then it has all but killed them on Good News For People Who Love Bad News. On the bright side of this album, the tracks seem even catchier than ever before. Even tracks somewhat reminiscent of Tom Waits (such as Bukowski) emit a distinctly poppy feel. Float On, the first single from the album, is accessible enough to be all over MTV. In addition, Black Cadilacs, although more accessible than most Modest Mouse tracks, retains rock sensibility and good ol angst, making it my personal favorite of the new release. Obviously Modest Mouse have changed, and not necessarily for the better. If you are not yet acquainted with Modest Mouse, you would do yourself a favor by exploring their back catalog. For Modest Mouse fans, however, this might be your last chance to get a fix (albeit a much more poppy and watered-down fix) before the boys from the Northwest become completely unbearable.
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