Grade: 63.5%
Official Rating: 67.8%
What the Others Think
Pitchfork Score: 7.8
Tiny Mix Tapes Score: 4 1/2 (out of 5)
Coke Machine Glow: N/A
First off, before I get on to the review properly, I need to retrace my steps a bit. This may put off some who were hoping to dive right in to a quick and breezy review of this album, but these things have to be said (or written as it were).
As you may have noticed, this album received a score, the first album I've given a score to. Well, I'll soon have another post explaining the score system. Those of you confused as to why I have two scores will soon receive an answer, and those of you wondering how I came to the scores will also know. I should have typed that post first, but I started this one already and I'm not the type of writer who can stop dead in my tracks once I get going.
The other thing I feel like I need to explain is where I stand as a Modest Mouse fan. This might not seem important, especially if you are a fairly new fan of the band, but I think it is important. With other publications, online or printed, you have the luxury of being able to search through years of reviews and articles, order back issues, read the 2 year old issues of Filter that are lying beside your toilet, whatever. The point is, if you don't know the tone the publication usually takes with a certain band, you can easily find out. But with this blog, since this is a fairly new blog and I'm the only one posting on it, if I don't take the time to properly explain myself then you, the reader, will have no idea what my stance is on a band like Modest Mouse. Ultimately, you might stumble across this review and think to yourself, "this guy probably hated Good News For People Who Love Bad News, of course he'll score this one low too." Or, "he's such a fucking snob, he probably only listens to This is a Long Drive For Someone With Nothing to Think About, and despises the poseurs who do not give the album the courtesy it deserves when they shorten it to Long Drive. Both statements would be completely inaccurate, which is exactly why I feel like I have to give a little background information before I go on.
The first thing you should know is that I like all of the Modest Mouse albums. I was a fan before Good Newswas released in April of '04, not that it really matters in the long run. I honestly think that Modest Mouse is one of the best bands of the past decade or so. However, it should be worth noting that I do not feel that any of their albums are classics. All of them have their own separate flaws, and most of them suffer from the same flaw that has dogged the band as much as the Built to Spill comparisons have, in that all of their albums contain fair amounts of filler and/or often drag along several songs too long. The only real exception to that rule is Good News, but it comes awfully close. The interlude track "Milo" is pointless, and "Black Cadillacs" isn't terribly impressive. Fortunately that album has solid tracks like "Blame it on the Tetons" and the best closing track on any of their albums, "The Good Times are Killing Me", for which Isaac Brock should be thanking the Flaming Lips and David Bowie, the former for their help in giving the song some extra punch, and latter for being such a good sport about the whole ripping off "Starman" thing.
But to be flawed is to be human, and like a good friend or family member, you overlook the flaws and flaws and learn to love the good inside of them. Fortunately, Modest Mouse do have more than enough to like about them. Songs like "Trailer Trash", "Bukowski", and "Stars Are Projectors" are not simply highlights on spotty albums, they are some of the best songs ever written. A bold statement, I know, but one that I stand by.
So what about the new album? Well, I'm glad you asked.
The new album, We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, for better or worse, picks up where Good News left off. I really wanted to write a review without comparing the two albums, but it is almost impossible to do so. We Were Dead sounds like the natural progression sonically, lyrically, and hell, even the album titles make a complete sentence if you put them together (Good news for people who love bad news, we were dead before the ship even sank. It almost sounds like a headline in the Onion). If you were to take Good News, tone down the Tom Waits, and increase the Talking Heads, that would be a good start as to how to describe this album. That is not to say that this is a dance album, though at times it strives for that direction. Other times it sounds like Modest Mouse: quirky, dark, kinda rockin'. The album flows fairly well, but definitely seems unfocused. Of the albums four best songs, two are danceably derivative of Talking Heads ("Fly Trapped in a Jar", "Education"), an Apocalyptic ho-down ("Parting of the Sensory), and the 8 1/2 minute "Spitting Venom", which sounds like several different era's of Modest Mouse rolled into one.
It is hard not to commend a band for its versatility, especially when it yields good results, but for every great song on We Were Dead there is one that treads water, and a couple that fall flat altogether. "Little Motel" and "Missed the Boat" sound a little too much like Bright Eyes, and while I think that Modest Mouse's sensitive, slower side can easily go toe-to-toe with the best of Bright Eyes' work (and easily triumph over Conner Oberst's worst) these two songs just don't cut it. The former is not a terrible song, its just not a terribly memorable one either. "Missed the Boat" certainly lives up to its name, and not even a cameo by the Shins' James Mercer can save it. In fact, Mr. Mercer must be a curse, as "Florida", another song he appears on, doesn't get any good until after he's gone, and Isaac growls and fights to save the song from drowning.
To be completely honest, and I'm probably alone in this sentiment, but I feel like the dance-rock direction many of the songs take worked pretty well. As I mentioned earlier, two of the best songs, while undeniably Talking Heads influenced, really fucking rock. "Dashboard" still sounds a little too glossy, but so did "Float On" at first. The only thing really holding "Dashboard" back now are the lyrics. The first few seconds of "Steam Engenius" makes you think the song is going to be incredibly cheesy, but only momentarily as it quickly finds a funky groove and rides it until the end.
But in the end, this is an album for fans of Good News, and those hoping for the lo-fi, poor man's cross between Built to Spill and the Pixies sound of old will not find much solace here. Even still, being a fan of Good News might not mean much if you cannot get past the few snoozers and unfocused nature of this album. It is entirely possible that this album will end up in used bins all across the country because there aren't enough dance tracks to appease the fans of "Dashboard", and not enough quirky, slow burners likely to appease fans of "Fire It Up". But as I mentioned earlier, looking past the flaws is a must for Modest Mouse fans. You may have to swim a bit deeper to find this ship's treasures, but I assure you that they are there.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Album Review: Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Gone YouTubin'
Yo, I might not be posting for a few days on account of me not having a computer handy to post from, so here's a few YouTube gems to keep you occupied while I'm away. Oh, and go Hawks!
Grizzly Bear - "The Knife"
This video was apparently filmed while they were walking the streets of France. I'm not sure if it was planned or not, but since there are no instruments handy they do a really cool a capella version. They look a little embarrassed at times to be seen doing so on a public street. It makes me wonder how it would sound if they were in a space more comfortable to them. I'm sure it would be fantastic.
TV on the Radio - "Dreams"
This looks to have been shot by someone affiliated with the band, as its angle is directly from the side of the stage. TV on the Radio has this vid on their MySpace page, so if its old news to you then I apologize. This was filmed while on tour with Nine Inch Nails and Bauhaus. Say what you will about either of those two bands, but getting the opportunity to open for them had to have been a great experience, even if the audiences were either sparse or not interested. I must say, Mr. Murphy and Mr. Reznor don't sound too bad on this song.
Akron/Family - "Awake"
This video was shot in Minneapolis at a little record store called Treehouse Records. I've been there, its tiny. It would be like playing at Kief's in Lawrence. This performance gave me goosebumps when I first heard it.
Califone - "Three Legged Animals"
A live video, and a fairly good one. Where the video is lacking in picture, it more than makes up for it in sound quality.
Neutral Milk Hotel - "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea" & "Two Headed Boy"
Not one, but two Neutral Milk Hotel songs to get you all nice and depressed. Both of these videos are have fantastic sound quality. The first is from Jeff Mangum's solo show at Jittery Joe's that was later made into an album/video, and the second is apparently from New Year's Eve 1998, though I'm not sure how accurate that is. Both are just beautiful.
Live Review: TV on the Radio - March 17th
Thanks to the lovely Jill McKeever for the photos
If you were not aware just by reading the date, the TV on the Radio show was on St. Patrick's Day. And if you are not a native of Kansas City, or have not traveled to the city to revel in the yearly debauchery, you are probably unaware that Kansas Cityians treat St. Patrick's Day like others treat Mardis Gras. Oh, and it was a Saturday too.
At first I was pretty convinced that this would have little affect on the actual concert. TV on the Radio surely wouldn't attract a throng of drunken frat boys, sorority girls, and older men and women who are partying like they're back in the frat or sorority from whence they came, right? Right...?
Suddenly, it occurred to me that if I was doing my best O'Bonacker impression and getting a little too drunk on this cool, green March afternoon, then why wouldn't other TV on the Radio fans be doing the same thing? That comforted me at first, until I met Bree. Well, I didn't just meet Bree, I've met her several times before. She's a nice woman and all, but she is exactly the type of obnoxious drunk girl I would not want to have standing next to me at a concert. When I told her my plans for the night, she exclaimed her jealousy of how she was not going. When I asked why, she told me she knew that she would be too drunk to even make it. This comment worried me a bit. If Bree couldn't make it, that's fine, but what if other obnoxious drunk girls or guys decided that a TV on the Radio concert would be a fun way mix up the night, and could make it to the show? Oh jeez, I thought, this night could turn out to be a total disaster. The last thing I wanted was an audience full of people blowing their Official St. Patrick's day whistles during every song, throwing their official St. Patrick's day beads toward the stage (but never quite making it), or spending so much time at the bar that it became hard to hear the band over the sound of glass bottles hitting a trash can. My fears only increased when I got a call from a friend saying that she was unable to get a ticket because the show was sold out. However, I will admit that I was able to ease my worries somewhat by drinking.
My party and I came back home to wind down before leaving for the venue. I don't know if it was the beer, the pot, or the fact that we were listening to Return to Cookie Mountain as a primer for the show, but suddenly my roommate was at his computer looking at Ticketmaster's website just to make sure the show had sold out. Tickemaster online confirmed the theory at first, but I suggested that maybe we call the venue just to make sure. When we finally got a hold of a real live person, we learned that there were in fact 30 or so tickets left at the box office. To make things better, my friend who could not get tickets earlier was on her way over to our apartment to hang out for an hour, and when she arrived we told her the good news, and plans were made: we're going to TV on the Radio...ALL OF US!
I know, you're probably thinking if I wanted to about read some drunk guy's weekend I'd pick up some Kerouac or Hemingway, and you would have a valid argument. Well, you're in luck, because unless you care to hear about the drive to the venue or my hour at Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill, I'll skip to the good stuff.
We got there in time to catch a little bit of the opening act, Subtle. I had heard a little bit about them from a co-worker who is real big into indie hip-hop and knows as much about the Anticon label as Stephen Hawking does about black holes. I expected to like the band. What I did not expect was to really like them. Honestly, they did not appear very hip-hop at all, and it was then that I realized that, hey!, I really like 13 & God, and these guys were in 13 & God, especially lead vocalist Doseone. My ears perked up and I tried to take more notice, but we ran into another group of friends and distraction won the day. This was only the beginning of me running into friends, during the rest of Subtle's set and the break between the bands I found several pockets of friends I have known throughout my life. It was a strange, surreal reunion of sorts, one that could only be made better with, you guessed it, more beer. And finding a closer spot to the stage.
TV on the Radio came out shortly after 9:15. They must want you to gamble a little bit after seeing a show at the voodoo lounge. I'm used to getting to the venue at about 9:15. But I digress. They made some noise with their instruments and then started into a song. I did not recognize it at first, there was no split second saxophone intro to cue me, but when Tunde started singing "Woke up in a magic nigger movie" I knew exactly what was going on. The song, now with drums(!) was propelled into the stratosphere as it progressed. The guitars sounded crisper and clearer than ever before. Surely all the rave live reviews I had read about them back in '04 were completely founded. (Someone told me once, after seeing them open for the Liars, that it was like a religious experience, with bodies shaking, hands thrown in the air, and a few hallelujahs). If any song was going to match the energy of "Wrong Way", I had no idea what it would be. The band wasted no time in starting into "Dreams", with Tunde creating a whistle sample that could be heard in syncopation during some of the more quiet parts. Somehow the song was able to lift the audience even higher. Perhaps it the whirlwind of guitars, but really I think it was Kyp Malone, you know, the hairy guy, singing his heart out like he was the lead of the band. One thing I was really excited to finally witness was the vocal interplay within the band, and sometimes it was difficult to tell who was doing what.
The band then proceeded to play just about everything off of their latest album, Return to Cookie Mountain. "Province" came first, and sounded great despite not having David Bowie around to lend a vocal chord. "I Was a Lover" and "Wolf Like Me" came next, which sent the crowd into a frenzy. "Wolf" was especially frantic, and the audience, the old school hipster fans and new ones alike, were pumping their fists in excitement. Tunde responded by thanking the crowd repeatedly throughout the show, and seemed genuinely happy to be playing for us. And why not? Maybe it was the beer and the holiday cheer, but the crowd was top notch (except for during "Tonight", where the bar crowd felt it was appropriate to talk during a slow song).
The band wisely decided to move onto slower numbers after "Wolf", and gradually descended into "Tonight", which, from what I could actually hear, was quite beautiful, with the members of Subtle joining the band on percussion instruments.
The band then took their encore break, and soon returned, once again with Subtle, and led into an all-star jam of "Let the Devil In". At the beginning of the song, Tunde asked the audience to sing along, even if they did not know the lyrics, and led the audience in yelling the vocal "ah-oh's" that pepper the song. The audience clapped and sang along like sheep, but honestly it was fucking cool. The band fed off the energy, and even pulled a mulleted hipster out of the front row to play percussion with the band. Tunde grabbed a megaphone, and doing his best Gibby Haynes impression, sang most of the song through the machine, distorting his voice in the process. The song, maybe the best they played the entire night, went off without a hitch. After Tunde was finished singing and the band started to wind the song down to its close, the crowd chimed in again, "singing" along until after the song was finished. Tunde looked bewildered, but in a please don't pinch me, I'm not ready to wake from this dream kind of way.
To finish the set, they finally dug out another Desperate Youth song, "Staring at the Sun", and like the first two songs of the night, it sounded incredible. Also, like the first two songs, they use of an actual human drummer aided the song infinitely. Whereas the album version never really lifts off, this version not only catapulted, but by had the entire place dancing. Its quite hard to articulate how this transition happened exactly, I too was one of those party people in some kind of strange post-drunken yet euphoric trance, not too out of my head to stand still but still a little high to recap the minutes in full detail. Some would say I experienced a "musical orgasm". I would be inclined to agree. I've seen some great shows in my day, but I haven't seen one this good in several months at least.
If TV on the Radio needed some time to get used to playing the new songs live, as several other live reviews I've read in the year since Cookie Mountain first leaked, then I feel bad for those fans that missed out on the beast the band has become since then, because obviously this past year of constant touring has been time well spent. Not only do they look and sound confident playing the new material, the old songs still sparkle like I'm hearing them for the first time all over again. For a band that has nothing to prove - making a big enough impression to jump to a major label after one album, both full lenghths impressing fans and critics alike, and tours that only only get bigger - they still play every show like they are the underdog looking for triumph on their way back to Cookie Mountain, reminding recent converts and old fans alike why they're worth betting on, because in the end you feel confident that they are going to win
Nostalgic Music Video of the Day: Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Warped"
My dreams were incredibly vivid this morning in terms of what music I heard in my head. While I cannot exactly remember the plots involved, I do know that "The Union Forever" by the White Stripes, a song I have not heard in probably 3 years, maybe more, was playing like I was actually listening to it right then and there. The craziest part about it, though, was when the song then morphed into a medley of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' One Hot Minute songs "Coffee Shop" and
"Warped", which are both songs I haven't heard in almost a decade! Dreams are weird.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Recommended Album of the Week: The Ponys - Turn The Lights Out
Review forthcoming. Sorry, I'm a busy man you know.
Friday, March 16, 2007
Woo Hoo!
Its Friday! March Madness is under way, Spring break is here, I have the weekend off, KU plays tonight, TV on the Radio is tomorrow, I just learned that Sonic Youth is playing Daydream Nation in its entirety at the Pitchfork Music Festival. So far, the weekend is off to a great start.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Oh My Goodness...
While no release date is officially set, Sonic Youth are planning on continuing their series of re-releases with none other than their magnum opus, Daydream Nation.
I'll admit, Daydream is not my favorite Sonic Youth album anymore (it takes a close, close, second to Sister), but there's no denying the importance the album had on the independent music scene and, to be quite frank, my life.
Hopefully I don't sound too much like a coming of age Zach Braff film, but Daydream Nation changed my life. I noticed it immediately too, which is the strange thing. I'm not sure if any of you have ever had a moment like that, where after listening to an album you feel like you've grown as a person, but that's how I felt listening to this album over 10 years ago. My teenage mind was blown.
This album was my introduction to the world of indie music. And even though it didn't prevent me from listening to a lot of shit that came out (I had some pretty questionable taste in music in my high school years, as I think we all did), it certainly opened my mind. Instead of being put off by low-quality sounding music, I instead learned to listen to the song as it was written, not how it was recorded. This helped me get into My Bloody Valentine as well. Without Daydream Nation, I would have certainly dismissed Loveless after the first listen (lets face it, the recording of Loveless does not hold up as well as the songs do). Without Daydream Nation, I would have slept through Blonde Redhead's opening slot at the Red Hot Chili Peppers/Foo Fighters concert. Without Daydream there would be no Slanted and Enchanted, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, You Forgot It In People, or 13 Songs in my music collection. In fact, you can thank Sonic Youth in some way for just about everything I own or listen to.
The news of this re-release is good news indeed. I cannot stress enough how strongly I recommend purchasing it when its released.
Something You Should Know
File under: News you may have already heard.
Neon Bible, the sophomore album from the Arcade Fire, debuted at number 2, NUMBER FUCKING TWO, on the Billboard top 200. Wow. I mean, yeah, the Shins already did that and bought the shirt, but its still impressive just because that makes it twice already this year that one of our precious indie bands debuted so high, and its only March.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
When We Were Young
I've noticed that lately my blogs have touched on the theme of nostalgia, and this post will be no different. Before I jump right in, I'd like to list several reasons as to why:
1). The devil made me do it.
2). I'm short.
3). Andre made me do it.
4). I busted my magic mirror trying to hit the falsetto "Grondlandic Edit", and therefore can no longer see into the future.
5. Tom, from MySpace, made me do it.
Okay, enough bullshit. The truth is, I always get like this in the Springtime. Also, I am busy right now with work and school and don't have enough time to devote to listen to a new album and give it a proper review (though there are several candidates for when I do), and I'm broke right now and missed a bunch of shows I could have reviewed.
Sorry.
But if you don't mind just a little more reminiscing, then read on and join me on a trip to the not so distant past, the year 2003!!!!!
Last night I was at a local bar with two fine ladies hanging out after a long day of reading for school, desperately needing a distraction. The bar we went to, Buzzard Beach, is a cheap dive bar, the kind of place you go to smoke cigarettes and drink Pabst. You know, the kind of place I'd never leave if it they didn't close. The biggest downfall to the place, however, is the inconsistent music selections.
Sometimes, the choices are fucking fantastic. For example, on a fairly recent trip I heard a mix CD that must have been a best-of-2006 mix, as it included The Knife, Built to Spill, and others that I'm forgetting now. After that mix, they played the new Deerhoof, Friend Opportunity. That was cool. On most nights though, you're just as likely to get something really cool, like Danse Macabre by the Faint, as you are Tom Petty or Bob Weir.
At any rate, last night at the Buzzard they were playing a mix CD that had obviously been made in 2003, which probably sounds pretty unimpressive to you, but to me it rocked. Why? Whoever compiled the CD included a shit-ton of bands I was listening to at the time, so many that its not even funny. Its almost as if I have a clone somewhere in this city making mix CDs and giving them to bars for me to hear four years later. Need proof? Read on. The songs I can remember hearing are as follows:
"Bandages" - Hot Hot Heat
"Honestly" - Zwan
"Keep Fishin'" - Weezer
"Seven Nation Army" - White Stripes
"Infra Riot" - Soundtrack of Our Lives
"Jerk it Out" - The Caesars
"Attack of the Ghost Riders" - the Raveonettes
"Whatever Happened to My Rock and Roll" - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
"Believing Is Art" - Spoon
Out of those bands, the only one I still really listen to and enjoy is Spoon, but all of those songs I enjoyed back in the day, especially the BRMC song. You should have seen me try to play Galaga and rock out to that song at the same time. (Actually, I know for a fact that at least one of you reading this did...) The mix was fantastic in that "hey, I'm 19 all over again" kind of way. If you don't understand what I mean now, trust me, you will when you're 24 going on 25, and much like I have been lately you'll relish those moments too.
If you have made it this far, I ask you nicely, if you have some extra time, to list 10 songs you would have put on a CD this time of year in 2003. It will be fun, I promise. And if you can't or don't want to, at least watch these videos. The past is dead, long live the past!
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - "Whatever Happened to My Rock and Roll"
...Trail of Dead - "Relative Ways"
White Stripes - "Seven Nation Army"
Interpol - "PDA"
Longwave - "Tidal Wave"
Monday, March 12, 2007
Nostalgic Music Video of the Day: Ugly Kid Joe - "I Hate Everything About You"
Where do I begin with this song? I guess the memories first.
I chose this song in honor of Spring Break (which technically hasn't started yet for me, but who cares...), in honor of college basketball and March Madness. One of my first Spring Break memories is of watching basketball deep into the night, and pretty much all week. This was my introduction into the world of March Madness, and I loved it. I loved the upsets, the insanity and absurdity of it all. Once the games started winding down, I flipped the channel over to MTV to catch some of their spring break coverage (to have the channel away from MTV was, back then, nothing short of a minor miracle). Back then, when MTV actually showed videos, they'd put the VJ's in some exotic location with a bunch of scantily clad college students and let them loose. They'd also set up a stage and let some bands play too, and I remember seeing Ugly Kid Joe play on one of the shows. For some reason, I really liked them.
Listening to the song now, well, I'm a little embarrassed. More embarrassed to say I owned this tape than I am about anything else, even Snow. This song is terrible with a capital T (Terrible!). The lyrics are shit, the contradictions many ("I hate the beach and sunny weather". Dude, you're filming on location, AT THE BEACH!@!@), and the breakdown near the end may or may not have spawned rap metal. I'm not sure, either way, its really fucking bad.
But still, this song forever means Spring Break, for better or worse.
One more thing, I totally forgot this video included clips from Wayne's World. I guess it was on the soundtrack? I haven't seen that movie in ages, I think I'm long overdue to watch it again. Any takers?