If the only album you have heard from Modest Mouse is Good News… (which is unfortunately the case for many of my peers), please erase everything you know about them, and go buy this CD.
You get a good idea of how weird and different this album is in the first five seconds of the first song, “Teeth Like God’s Shoeshine”. The guitar begins with a distorted bend and continues into the hook, just in time for Isaac Brock to deliver his distinctive shouting vocals with lyrics that don’t make sense to anyone but himself. At first you might think that this song will keep with this hard driving indie rock-feel, until a minute and 20 seconds into the song, where he slows everything down and begins to sing in a staggering yet somehow melodic voice.
And to think, this song is by far the best one on the album. With songs like “Jesus Christ Was An Only Child” which shows a more southern, bluegrass side of the band with a violin accompaniment, and “Sh*t Luck” which shows the full emotional extent the band can go to, The Lonesome Crowded West is a wonderful delivery of great indie rock, and puts Modest Mouse at the forefront of their generation. A must have. |