Generally when I think of humanitarians Modest Mouse doesn’t pop to the top of my list. However, based on their recent events Modest Mouse might have won “indie rock do good award” if one existed.
There was a benefit concert “Obama Do Rock For Kids Auction” as reported by our pals at Pitchfork had Modest Mouse performing in December 2008 with Arcade Fire, REM, Interpol, Wilco and more, with a huge auction of music memorabilia. .
In February of 2009 the band announced they were coming out with an album of re-polished outtakes. In March the band titled the album “No One’s First and You’re Next.” Between March and it’s August 18th release there were the form of three limited edition two-song 7″ singles: Satellite Skin, Autumn Bedsand Perpetual Motion Machine.
This led to the socially conscious spotlight for Modest Mouse yet again this time from a video of the song King Rat originally found on the Dashboard single off the album “We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank” and the first song on the new EP album “No One’s First and You’re Next”.
The video for the track King Rat, was , but has generated a TON of buzz for reasons good and bad. The video, because it was directed by Heath Ledger who died before the release, has been given much attention. It is titled King Rat, which makes me think of the “King Mouse“ (or Mouse King as he is apparently billed) that my 4 year old niece always cheers for and talks about after going to the “Nutcracker Suite”. This “King Rat” is more suited to whales and saving them than Nutcrackers and slaying them.
Directed by Heath Ledger and having Daniel Auber and Norris Houk handling animation, the video a “visual plea against the legal commercial whale hunts taking place off the coast of Australia,” according to the press release.
The reasons I sound surprised when speaking of their good behavior is the history of the band, specifically lead singer, guitarist Isaac Brock. Brock is the rusty lug nut, the hard touring driving force behind Modest Mouse.
When I first heard of Modest Mouse it was 10-12 years ago and they had a sound that jumped out at you like an electric shock in a post punk, indie rocker way. They also had this raucous lead singer-guitarist who was having trouble with the law, an almost punk pre-requisite.
In 1998, Brock got a DUI from passing out while inhaling nitrous oxide that caused the female passenger in the car to dislocate her thumb. The state of Oregon has a law that if someone is hurt in a DUI accident the charge can be attempted murder. So from there the rumors escalated. I had heard he punched a woman in the face while drunk on stage and apparently there was a rape charge, which was later dropped, in 1999.
Isaac Brock - Lead Singer - Guitarist - Part Time Hell Raiser - Full Time Rocker for Modest Mouse
A lot of the additional rumors however were trumped up by college kids (I was one myself at the time), who didn’t know what to make of a band who sang about Jesus looking like “crisco disco”, love lost, angst, drinking to stop the pain, personal suffering and conversely things effecting the environment (see the whales references above) and a range of subjects that would have you thinking they were bi-polar.
I initially had this slightly off, preconceived notion of Brock as a Jim Morrison type lead singer. The in person image did nothing to distill these ideas as Brock reminded me of Shane McGowen of the Pogues and so at my early Modest Mouse concerts I expected nothing less than a full on display of rowdy self-destruction. In truth I found a band that was tight at hitting the off key notes and the intentional wordplay and a sound that I fell in love with.
For the last 10 years Modest Mouse has been churning out albums and touring all the time and so it comes as no surprise that their latest release “No One’s First and You’re Next”, an EP, is a collection of B-Sides that fills in the gaps between “We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank” and ”Good News for People Who Love Bad News”.
“No One’s First, You’re Next” is just 8 songs, but is sharp and easy to like on the first take, as that was the point of repolishing the originals of these songs. I found myself slipping right back into that Modest Mouse groove, as there nothing too hard on this album. It truly is more of an easy going album, by their standards, but quality none the less. The first track Satellite Skin and the first single released off the album, complete with a music video is an almost great tune, and it is like they have picked up right where they left off on “We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank”.
Modest Mouse "No One's First and You're Next"
“No One’s First, You’re Next” is just 8 songs, but is sharp and easy to like on the first take, as that was the point of re-polishing the originals of these songs. I found myself slipping right back into that Modest Mouse groove, as there nothing too hard on this album. It truly is more of an easy going album, by their standards, but quality none the less. The first track Satellite Skin and the first single released off the album, complete with a music video is an almost great tune, and it is like they have picked up right where they left off on “We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank”.
Satellite Skin's Single Cover
Another song that sticks out is Perpetual Motion Machine, the third single they released off the album and one that has the ubiquitous Dirty Dozen Brass Band, from New Orleans who has been around for over 30 years performing, collaborating on the song. The Dirty Dozen Brass Band has put on some of the most fun shows I personally have ever seen, so having them in studio with Modest Mouse must have been a rowdy musical affair, to put it mildly.
To give you an idea of how popular Modest Mouse has grown from those early years, they debuted with this EP that came out on August 4th, 2009 at #15 on Billboard’s top 200, #3 on Rock Albums, #2 Digital Albums, #2 Alternative. Not too shabby for a band that prides itself on scruff and holler.
But don’t let the charts or Heath Ledger’s ghost or my opinion sway you, decide for yourself. Here are a few tracks more tracks to listen to and download any of these tracks HERE if you really enjoy them from listening to the player or seeing the videos.
Satellite Skin ~ Modest Mouse
Perpetual Motion Machine ~ Modest Mouse (f. Dirty Dozen Brass Band)
Guilty Cocker Spaniel ~ Modest Mouse
Also be sure to check out the Modest Mouse homepage, their myspace page and the Epic records page for more info and updates on songs and videos (their youtube channel).
Modest Mouse 2009 Tour Dates
(as seen on their website):
| Date | City | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 08/17/09 | Modest Mouse in Halifax, NS | Forum Mulipurpose Room |
| Sold Out. w/ The Dutchess & The Duke | ||
| 08/19/09 | Modest Mouse in Montreal, QC | Metropolis |
| Buy tickets. w/ The Dutchess & The Duke | ||
| 08/20/09 | Modest Mouse in Kingston, ON | Ale House |
| Sold Out. w/ The Dutchess & The Duke | ||
| 08/21/09 | Modest Mouse in Toronto, ON | Sound Academy |
| Sold Out. w/ The Dutchess & The Duke | ||
| 08/22/09 | Modest Mouse in Toronto, ON | Sound Academy |
| Buy tickets. w/ The Dutchess & The Duke | ||
| 08/24/09 | Modest Mouse in Columbus, OH | Lifestyle Communities Pavilion |
| Buy tickets. w/ The Dutchess & The Duke | ||
| 08/25/09 | Modest Mouse in Chicago, IL | Aragon Ballroom |
| Buy tickets. w/ The Dutchess & The Duke | ||
| 08/28/09 | Modest Mouse in San Diego, CA | Street Scene |
| Buy tickets. | ||
| 08/29/09 | Modest Mouse in Anaheim, CA | Grove of Anaheim |
| Buy tickets. w/ The Night Marchers | ||
| 08/30/09 | Modest Mouse in San Francisco, CA | Outside Lands |
| Buy tickets. | ||
| 09/01/09 | Modest Mouse in Salt Lake City, UT | In The Venue |
| Buy tickets. w/ The Night Marchers | ||
| 09/02/09 | Modest Mouse in Denver, CO | Fillmore Auditorium |
| Buy tickets. w/ The Night Marchers | ||
| 09/03/09 | Modest Mouse in Billings, MT | Alberta Bair Theater |
| Buy tickets. w/The Night Marchers | ||
| 09/04/09 | Modest Mouse in Missoula, MT | Wilma Theater |
| Sold Out. w/The Night Marchers | ||
| 09/05/09 | Modest Mouse in Spokane, WA | Knitting Factory Concert House |
| Buy tickets. w/The Night Marchers | ||
| 09/07/09 | Modest Mouse in Seattle, WA | Bumbershoot |
| Buy tickets. | ||
| 09/09/09 | Modest Mouse in Honolulu, HI | Pipeline Cafe |
| Buy tickets. | ||
| 09/20/09 | Modest Mouse in Portland, OR | Glacial Pace night NorthWest Music Fest |
| Sold Out. w/ Love As Laughter, Mimicking Birds & Morning Teleportation | ||
| 09/21/09 | Modest Mouse in Portland, OR | Crystal Ballroom |
| Buy tickets. | ||
| 09/22/09 | Modest Mouse in Portland, OR | Crystal Ballroom |
| Buy tickets. | ||
| 09/23/09 | Modest Mouse in Portland, OR | Crystal Ballroom |
| Buy tickets. | ||
| 12/11/09 – 12/13/09 | Modest Mouse in Minehead, UK | Ten Years of ATP |
| Buy tickets. | ||
TOURS
| Date | City | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 08/17/09 | Modest Mouse in Halifax, NS | Forum Mulipurpose Room |
| Sold Out. w/ The Dutchess & The Duke | ||
| 08/19/09 | Modest Mouse in Montreal, QC | Metropolis |
| Buy tickets. w/ The Dutchess & The Duke | ||
| 08/20/09 | Modest Mouse in Kingston, ON | Ale House |
| Sold Out. w/ The Dutchess & The Duke | ||
| 08/21/09 | Modest Mouse in Toronto, ON | Sound Academy |
| Sold Out. w/ The Dutchess & The Duke | ||
| 08/22/09 | Modest Mouse in Toronto, ON | Sound Academy |
| Buy tickets. w/ The Dutchess & The Duke | ||
| 08/24/09 | Modest Mouse in Columbus, OH | Lifestyle Communities Pavilion |
| Buy tickets. w/ The Dutchess & The Duke | ||
| 08/25/09 | Modest Mouse in Chicago, IL | Aragon Ballroom |
| Buy tickets. w/ The Dutchess & The Duke | ||
| 08/28/09 | Modest Mouse in San Diego, CA | Street Scene |
| Buy tickets. | ||
| 08/29/09 | Modest Mouse in Anaheim, CA | Grove of Anaheim |
| Buy tickets. w/ The Night Marchers | ||
| 08/30/09 | Modest Mouse in San Francisco, CA | Outside Lands |
| Buy tickets. | ||
| 09/01/09 | Modest Mouse in Salt Lake City, UT | In The Venue |
| Buy tickets. w/ The Night Marchers | ||
| 09/02/09 | Modest Mouse in Denver, CO | Fillmore Auditorium |
| Buy tickets. w/ The Night Marchers | ||
| 09/03/09 | Modest Mouse in Billings, MT | Alberta Bair Theater |
| Buy tickets. w/The Night Marchers | ||
| 09/04/09 | Modest Mouse in Missoula, MT | Wilma Theater |
| Sold Out. w/The Night Marchers | ||
| 09/05/09 | Modest Mouse in Spokane, WA | Knitting Factory Concert House |
| Buy tickets. w/The Night Marchers | ||
| 09/07/09 | Modest Mouse in Seattle, WA | Bumbershoot |
| Buy tickets. | ||
| 09/09/09 | Modest Mouse in Honolulu, HI | Pipeline Cafe |
| Buy tickets. | ||
| 09/20/09 | Modest Mouse in Portland, OR | Glacial Pace night NorthWest Music Fest |
| Sold Out. w/ Love As Laughter, Mimicking Birds & Morning Teleportation | ||
| 09/21/09 | Modest Mouse in Portland, OR | Crystal Ballroom |
| Buy tickets. | ||
| 09/22/09 | Modest Mouse in Portland, OR | Crystal Ballroom |
| Buy tickets. | ||
| 09/23/09 | Modest Mouse in Portland, OR | Crystal Ballroom |
| Buy tickets. | ||
| 12/11/09 – 12/13/09 | Modest Mouse in Minehead, UK | Ten Years of ATP |
| Buy tickets. | ||
So what is this stuff about bitrates and remastering? Well, non-standard bit rates up to 640 kbit/s can be achieved with the LAME encoder and the freeformat option, although few MP3 playerscan play those files. According to the ISO standard, decoders are only required to be able to decode streams up to 320 kbit/s.The files as a result are slightly larger but thanks to our work and remastering and a few other tweaks we give you the best possible audio that even the mp3 you get off the CD does not give you. A CD will give you 128 kbit/s, we give you 320 kbit/s. The sound quality is more than double, that is all that means. We also hope you respect our rules and regulations and do not in any way shape or form attempt to sell, reuse w/o prior consent and be sure to credit your sources, us if you link to us. We would really appreciate it.
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