In a message dated 5/3/00 11:35:57 PM Pacific Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: > I can't see how anyone who has been > following Modest Mouse and their music couldn't see this as a very > natural, expected, and in my opinion, GREAT progression in their course > of musical existence. I am extremely excited about this album, I think > it's absolutely great, and while of course it is hard to let go of their > old sound, and everything they've done in the past, I don't find this > album to be dissappointing at all. ryan hmmm. . .it's interesting to hear this opinion. i think it's great that you've been able to warm up to the new album; i finally sat down and listened to the thing in its entirety three times over, and it's just not hitting me. i don't know that i see the progression from the last album to this, taking all of the band's material into consideration. i s'pose it's like, to use a bad analogy, taking a drink of what you think is cherry coke, only to find out it's actually just regular coke. it's not bad, by any means, but not what you're expecting, so you're maybe taken a little aback, and wishing you had some cherry coke instead, though you'll make do with what you've got, as it's not unbearable. but i still find myself stumbling across the production, and the multitude of overdubs and studio gimmickry. a perfect example would be "your life"/"life". . .i think the original japanese ep version was a perfectly good song. . .understated, as befitted the lyrics. the added guitar parts on the moon+antarctica version, though, just don't seem to fit, and detract from the song in a cluttering sort of way. i s'pose what i'm saying is that this album is such a departure from the previous stuff that i have a hard time seeing it as a progression so much as an attempt to just outright experiment with a new recording budget and utilities. i don't think that the band has taken great pains to sound sellable, and i don't think that even factors into it (lest anyone think i'm crying "sellout," which, as previous star posts should indicate, i find a laughable concept). i just don't know that the new sound is as befitting to the band's strengths as their previous stuff. i also have to say that i've been comparatively underwhelmed by the songs. i don't mean to seem negative. i mean, it's still heads above most of the stuff out there, and much of it is amazing in its own mouse way. but something seems to be . . . missing. relishing the delicious irony in seeing scientologist wack-o travolta say "stupid humans" in the battlefield earth preview, star
