Why did they sign to Epic?? I know that the band has proven they have talent
and the ability to be both challenging and accessible, abrasive yet poppy,
and their abilities will outshine any over-production and commercialization.
But I always think back to the late 80s -- the Pixies, the Replacements,
Husker Du, even Nirvana -- look what happened to them when they went major.
Of course, these bands are very very different from Modest Mouse (save for
the Pix, and obvious reference point), but they all went down different
roads to get to the same crappiness (though the Pixies and Nirvana attempted
to turn their backs on the mainstream with their final, half-decent
efforts). Anyway, what I'm saying is, and the Japan EP can attest to this,
Modest Mouse may seem to be maturing and evolving, but they are probably
just getting weaker and less scary for the big label. All this in addition
to the amount of money they will actually LOSE being signed to a major.
However, I will hold off on any other criticism until I hear that album,
which I am nonetheless looking forward to. I just hope they continue the
greatness they showed with their first two albums and all those singles.
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