MODEST REVIEW : Modest Mouse
There are so many new bands nowadays. I am definitely spoilt for choice when I paid a visit to Midvalley & KLCC Tower Records plus of course the small but popular cd/cassette outlet at CM First Level- Andrew`s. Some have been around for some time but are paving road in our local scene just recently. A friend suddenly got excited with "The Clash" ( NOTE: This is 2005, The Clash is a classic but it is sooo...yesterday). But of course apart from that isolated case, the new old skool-pop-indie rock generation in Malaysia gets to taste some of the best (or worse) sounds in the music industry with the "dumping" of more music that falls under any of this genre in our country under the banner of "globalization". I am not sounding sarcastic here, right? Of course, with the music "in", you get to see more young people with sexy curly hair ( a tribute to Strokes lead singer- Julian, I guess ), tight checked shirts, shrunk Levi`s and leather Converse sneakers dirtied on purpose. COOL. Pop culture observation in your own backyard.
A friend of mine plus my fiancee, occasionally will visit this music club called Loft every Friday nite. The club will play these kinda music on that nite which in return updates me of the new bands in town- Longview, Bravery, Killers etc. So, with the support of my music lover buddies, I strived pretty well in the music world which nowadays are very much dominated by Usher & The Gang. So, without rambling much further, allow me to introduce you to my long-time favorite wacky weirdos from Issaquah, WA - Modest Mouse.
MODEST MOUSE: Good News For People Who Love Bad News
I get to learn of this band from an oversea correspondent plus www.epitonic.com. I am happy that these guys `s new album reached our shore. They are DIFFERENT to say the least. After their debut major label with Epic Record, Moon & Antartica - their fans waited with bated breath of their next craft. "Moon & Antartica" was damn superb ( to a MM fan lah ) that I never heard of people complaining about it. Below, is MM `s standing in various "best-lists of 2004".
1. Number 9 in Village Voice 2004 Pazz & Jop Poll ( 793 critics)
2. Number 5 in Drawer B
3. Number 8 in Filter
4. Number 2 in Magnet
5. Number 3 in The Onion ( Josh Modell )
6. Number 10 in Pop Matters
7. Number 4 in Spin
( Source: Metacritic Compilation of 2004 Lis )
Though MM did not make it to Pitchfork Review `s List, Pitchfork gave them a 7.9 for the album. Not bad.
What do I think of the new album? Lets not give a shit to what the critics think.I love the album but it required me to take a second listen before I did. Not that I am trying hard to make myself felt better with the RM39 that I spent on the album, it is just similarly to my experience with Coldplay and Radiohead, I do not stop even midway through the album like I did with Razorlight `s "Up All Night" ( that band sucks, to me). The second listening attempt was effortless but the temptation to re-listen after that was really overpowering. Not one to comfortably sit back and enjoy the "Post-Pixie Significant" label, they crafted a new gem but of course with the keyboard, trumpet and banjo thrown in. Though they lost the rough edgy raw sounds of their earlier tracks like Building Nothing out of Something, they still maintained the disco flavor to their sound but with sharper and mellowed music arrangement.My fave is not "Float On" the track considered by some critics as the best track MM ever come out with. I prefer "The View", "Satin In A Coffin" and " Blame It On The Tetons". The album, to a certain extent does make MM more accessible if not radio-friendly, but that does not mean that they lost the unique style which has put them in a totally different category apart from the other bands. I mean we can get like almost four bands that sound or desperately trying to sound like The Strokes but I guess not many band wants to follow the road that is less travelled:to be delightfully adored or harshly kick-off like the Modest Mouse.
A friend of mine commented on this review: Boring betul la review engkau. Dah lah tu, music reviewer wannabe!...maybe she `s rightlah!
A friend of mine plus my fiancee, occasionally will visit this music club called Loft every Friday nite. The club will play these kinda music on that nite which in return updates me of the new bands in town- Longview, Bravery, Killers etc. So, with the support of my music lover buddies, I strived pretty well in the music world which nowadays are very much dominated by Usher & The Gang. So, without rambling much further, allow me to introduce you to my long-time favorite wacky weirdos from Issaquah, WA - Modest Mouse.
MODEST MOUSE: Good News For People Who Love Bad News
I get to learn of this band from an oversea correspondent plus www.epitonic.com. I am happy that these guys `s new album reached our shore. They are DIFFERENT to say the least. After their debut major label with Epic Record, Moon & Antartica - their fans waited with bated breath of their next craft. "Moon & Antartica" was damn superb ( to a MM fan lah ) that I never heard of people complaining about it. Below, is MM `s standing in various "best-lists of 2004".
1. Number 9 in Village Voice 2004 Pazz & Jop Poll ( 793 critics)
2. Number 5 in Drawer B
3. Number 8 in Filter
4. Number 2 in Magnet
5. Number 3 in The Onion ( Josh Modell )
6. Number 10 in Pop Matters
7. Number 4 in Spin
( Source: Metacritic Compilation of 2004 Lis )
Though MM did not make it to Pitchfork Review `s List, Pitchfork gave them a 7.9 for the album. Not bad.
What do I think of the new album? Lets not give a shit to what the critics think.I love the album but it required me to take a second listen before I did. Not that I am trying hard to make myself felt better with the RM39 that I spent on the album, it is just similarly to my experience with Coldplay and Radiohead, I do not stop even midway through the album like I did with Razorlight `s "Up All Night" ( that band sucks, to me). The second listening attempt was effortless but the temptation to re-listen after that was really overpowering. Not one to comfortably sit back and enjoy the "Post-Pixie Significant" label, they crafted a new gem but of course with the keyboard, trumpet and banjo thrown in. Though they lost the rough edgy raw sounds of their earlier tracks like Building Nothing out of Something, they still maintained the disco flavor to their sound but with sharper and mellowed music arrangement.My fave is not "Float On" the track considered by some critics as the best track MM ever come out with. I prefer "The View", "Satin In A Coffin" and " Blame It On The Tetons". The album, to a certain extent does make MM more accessible if not radio-friendly, but that does not mean that they lost the unique style which has put them in a totally different category apart from the other bands. I mean we can get like almost four bands that sound or desperately trying to sound like The Strokes but I guess not many band wants to follow the road that is less travelled:to be delightfully adored or harshly kick-off like the Modest Mouse.
A friend of mine commented on this review: Boring betul la review engkau. Dah lah tu, music reviewer wannabe!...maybe she `s rightlah!
posted by GEE at 9:46 AM
1 Comments:
dammit i love modest mouse.
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