Modest Mouse has been laying out music since 1993 when they were first formed by band member and lead singer Isaac Brock. Since then they have been winning over fans in massive amounts all while seeing little to no radio play, at least not nationwide. They've successfully become a band that everyone has heard of, even if they haven't heard anything they've done. And I have a confession to make... I myself haven't heard anything they've done before I picked up this album. So this review will be written in the tone of a first time discoverer for people who have yet to discover them.
Story time... I was out in the parking lot with a few of my friends last week and two of them kept talking about this new Modest Mouse CD and were playing it through the windows of their car as they were standing in the parking lot. I came over and didn't hear TOO much of the music over our conversations, but that little bit that I picked up subconsciously stuck with me. The next day I went to Best Buy for a little CD shopping spree and after picking up some classics like "Let It Be" and "Beatles For Sale" by The Beatles, I came across the Modest Mouse album on an end cap under new releases. It was only $9.99 so I thought, "What the hell..." I picked it up as an impulse to see what everyone was talking about. I had no idea what I was about to embark upon.
Five songs into the album and I was completely blown away. Within the first two songs "Float On" and "The World At Large" you can hear the influence that Dave Fridmann from The Flaming Lips had. It's been a long time since there has been an album that's made me feel something when I listen to their material. I'm not sure how to describe the feeling I got in my stomach... almost like getting butterflies over a girl you like.
The thing I find so compelling about this album is it's use of non-mainstream instruments in an indie-rock sort of way. It's not everyday you hear strings or The Dirty Dozen Brass Band in the indie-scene. There are moments when their music reminds me of They Might Be Giants, sometimes but rarely The Weezer, and once even Electric Six, but always they sound unlike anything I've ever heard. They are definitely an acquired taste, but you'll either love them right off the bat or not understand it.
Listening to this album from front to back feels like a journey going from point A, stopping off at points C, D, E, and Z, before coming back around and hitting point B. They take you through what, although mesmerizing and though envoking, feels like a happy journey through mental visualizations, time, and sound. It's sometimes vulgar, but never careless. It's often times bouncy, but never turbulent. The short songs feel long and the long songs feel short. It's a bizarre trip through an experience, that at least I personally have never taken before.
"Good News For People Who Hate Bad News" is definitely on my list of albums you must check out. It's not everyday that I get to review such a great album like this. It's a pleasure for me, and for such a low price, if you have the inclination, check them out just to discover something new. If you're sick of the redundant BS they play on the radio nowadays, "Good News For People Who Love Bad News" is going to please you unlike anything else ever has.
Artist:
Modest Mouse