Well, I gotta say, my first reaction to the album made me sick to my stomach. I thought to myself, "Oh my god, Epic has just ruined one of the greatest bands around today." I wanted to write them a letter telling them so. I thought it was overproduced, way more depressed-sounding, and I was just personally a little put off that the songs didn't have the length and raw power that most of their older stuff really illustrated well... it just didn't feel like the same band to me. My boyfriend said to me, "Sweety, I think we may have to find a new favorite band..." The first time I heard it was the day after I saw them at the GAMH in SF on Tuesday, where I bought it from their keyboard player (although I didn't originally recognize him as such), who said, "have you heard this yet? it's really really good." As it turned out, he was (obviously) the keyboardist, and the lead man of califone, a band I really hated. Their drummer was pretty good, but other than that I thought they were shitty. Not to mention, his keyboard playing at the show was god-awful... seemingly the same note played over and over, and at an incredible volume-- i couldn't hear isaac's guitar, and i know that wasn't because he didn't have it turned up loud enough! I just don't think they need him, and it would please me immensly if he'd get his ass kicked out of the band. the 2nd guitarist they picked up didn't bother me at all, though. I can see the point of having another guitarist to tour with since isaac usually double-tracked the guitar anyway. At any rate, I bitch about the keyboardist to sort of illustrate the buildup of my disgust for him when I heard the album and decided it fell short of "really really good." My exact thought was: "Of course HE thinks it's good! He's probably the reason why it sounds so shitty!!" I can feel a lot of angry emails headed my way, but before you hit reply I'd like to add one more thing: On subsequent listens, I've decided that a big part of why my boyfriend and I felt so badly about the album had a lot to do with the fact that that had been an utterly shitty day... nothing went right that day (for example: 110 degree weather causing power outages that left our cardboard box of a house without any fans and no way to escape the heat--and then having to light candles to see. Candles are hot!). Also, as has always been the case with me and Modest Mouse, it usually takes me a few listens for each of the songs to really grow on me; I've decided that, though the album is QUITE different, I think, from most of the prior stuff, it is not without it's charm, and after only one and a half listens to it (fucking power outage), I find myself humming the songs at work and upset at not being able to get home so I can finish aquainting myself with it. In summary, I'm not going to write any angry letters to Epic for a while. If this label change is what Modest Mouse needed to get the money to really get their songs to sound the way they want them to, as long as no asshole producer makes them change too much, they will still get as much support and adoration from me as they ever did. Epic, I'm keeping my eye on you, though... --Audrey >initial reaction to the "the moon & antarctica": > >I've only been able to listen to it at work on headphones (which I hate >doing ) while staring at a computer monitor (I only really LOVE listening to >music while driving) but ignoring that hitch: I love it. Scratch that; I >FUCKING love it. It's just totally crazy and all over the place in a way >"Long Drive" (my favorite MM album) was and "Crowded West" (which I love, >but was a little dissapointed with) wasn't. I WILL admit that some of the >production is a little over the top, but that's totally forgivable in my >book. Modest Mouse has always been over-ambitious - it's part of their >charm. Doesn't hurt the album any more than the length of "Long Drive" hurt >that album. > >Initial favorites are Third Planet, The Cold Part, Stars Are Projectors, >Wild Packs Of Family Dogs (don't know why this songs getting slammed by >some... sounds like a funny little Pavement b-side), Paper Thin Walls (of >course), I Came As A Rat, Life Like Weeds, and especially Lives, the beauty >of which gives me chills. Unfortunately, songs like "Lives", that really hit >me right off the bat (example: Pavement's Major Leagues), end up being my >least favorite. Anyways, the best part of Modest Mouse albums for me is that >the songs I skip over at first end up being my favorites, so I know there >are some gems in there that I don't yet "get". > >So thats it. The best thing I can say is that the my most anticipated album >of the year is fully living up to my expectations.
