Modest Mouse Demands "You Tell Me What You Want"

It has taken until now for me to realize that maybe music is headed in the right direction. Of course, I can’t speak to the dire nature of mainstream songs and bands on radio and MTV without cringing, but as far as new albums go of the last year I’ve been incredibly satisfied with the burgeoning indie-pop scene. Suddenly it seems that both British and American bands of this ilk are getting the attention they so deserve. And for now they’ve managed to go largely without selling out instead content to continue making little albums and playing little venues.

One band just beginning to make some much deserved headway is Washington-based Modest Mouse. Formed in 1993, the unassuming indie-pop band released a single first in 1994 but took until 1996 before their craft was honed enough to produce an album’s worth of material. From that point on, Modest Mouse recorded albums and EPs, few of which were popular but nearly all of which were well-received by critics. It took until the band’s 2004 album before less adventurous audiences (apparently including me) were awarded the opportunity to gorge themselves on the band’s fantastic music.

As strange as it may seem, I am among the group only to recently discover Modest Mouse. Why so late to jump on the proverbial bandwagon? Well, because I hate to prematurely pretend to really like something only for the sake of “being cool” and only to regret my purchases. No such issues with Good News for People Who Love Bad News, a cohesive and fun pop gem. Led by Isaac Brock on vocals (and piano, banjo, not to mention whistling) and rounded out by Dann Gallucci (guitar, percussion, mellotron, timpani, and keyboards) and Eric Judy (bass guitar, tin whistle, pump organ, and acoustic guitars) Modest Mouse has crafted an irrepressibly fun album.

Good News for People Who Love Bad News is an introspective, comfortable, and creative album full of vitality and entirely devoid (fortunately) of pretension. At the same time it is immensely appealing, it is funky and quirky. This slightly off-kilter slant appeals to me, second only to the lighthearted (but intense?) melody. Modest Mouse’s album represents everything I love about not-quite-mainstream pop music.

I’ve already mentioned that I discovered Modest Mouse the same way as everybody else--by way of (gasp!) MTV and the video for the song Float On. A rousing, rich song that’s stocked with genuine child-like enthusiasm too often lacking from music. The band is clearly aware that making music doesn’t have to be entirely serious or entirely humorous business. Modest Mouse strikes a happy medium without coming off as insincere or purposefully bizarre. Brock energetically chants in perfect synchronicity to the pointed rhythm of the tune. The words are a cross between lively and weirdly obscure. Indeed Float On is a multi-faceted song.

The first two both serve as introductions to the aforementioned first single. A horn intro/solo followed by The World at Large set the stage for the album that follows. Of course, considering The World at Large on its own merits is an easy task. A coy, beautiful, strikingly simple song it makes me smile. Heck, how can you go wrong with a tin whistle? As the album progresses beyond Float On, it takes shape.

At the same time I love most of the material, I cannot entirely attach myself to all the songs. The first indication that the disc isn’t quite perfect don’t occur until around the mid-point. Up until that time, there are many songs which prove superb. Ocean Breathes Salty makes me laugh--not so much for the song itself as much as the Talking Heads-meets-Korn sentimentality. Korn you ask…well, that’s all that comes to mind with the whinnied backing vocals. Bury Me With It is an odd ditty with a strangely invigorating arrangement that reminds me a bit of PUSA.

Other songs that make an impact include Dance Hall, The View, Satin in a Coffin and finally One Chance. The View in particular is wonderful. It’s a bouncing, alt-jazz sort of thing. It’s indescribably weird but at the same time is appealing instead of off-putting. I guess this is what makes Modest Mouse something more than just an odd little indie-pop band. Satin in a Coffin clearly exhibits the band’s indebtedness to Talking Heads. It’s a new wave song meshed with electronica and pop and in the end it proves memorable.

Bukowski is the first moment at which I have any hesitation about this Good News for People Who Love Bad News. It is clearly intended to be a modern adaptation of Eastern European music. It’s not an all-bad entry, but still it doesn’t strike as immediately as so much as the rest of the album. That’s what Modest Mouse gets for setting their own bar so high. Other less than perfect songs are the strange Interlude (Milo) not to mention the pair of full-length songs that follow Blame it on the Tetons and Black Cadillac. Neither draws me in. Nor does anything about the slow-burning acoustic alt-country of Good Times are Killing Me.

For better or worse, I am now a fan of Modest Mouse. The first half (if not slightly more) of this album is fantastically fun. I love the fact that they don’t take themselves too seriously but at the same time they don’t resort to childish humor. Good News for People Who Love Bad News makes me happy. It’s not the deepest thing in the world, but I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again--sometimes all I want as a listener is to be made happy in this unnecessarily serious world. Is that too hard a request?

Rating: 4/5 stars

Track Listing:
01. Horn Intro
02. The World At Large
03. Float On
04. Ocean Breathes Salty
05. Dig Your Grave
06. Bury Me With It
07. Dance Hall
08. Bukowski
09. This Devil's Workday
10. The View
11. Satin In A Coffin
12. Interlude (Milo)
13. Blame It On The Tetons
14. Black Cadillacs
15. One Chance
16. The Good Times Are Killing Me