Modest Mouse...So, what's the verdict?

[Ex Lion Tamer]

I'm a little surprised at the lack of "buzz" around the new Mouse droppings; "Good News for People who are dead", or whatever it's called, especially considering how much press "The Moon and Antarctica" got around these parts when it came out. On my most recent visit to our local indie record haunt, it was playing on the store's system, and I was somewhat underwhelmed by what I heard. Underwhelmed enough that I didn't walk out with it, even though it was at the top of my "wallet" list, and it was a pretty decent price. (Got Franz Ferdinand instead).

So what are you Mouseites thinking? As good as "The Moon..."? Good, but doesn't approach the quality of earlier Mouse droppings...? Sucks hippo balls???? Bottom line: should I crowbar open my wallet and just buy the damn thing?

[Warning**** rant of the day to follow] On a totally unrelated note, does anyone else think as I do that the search function on this board is totally useless? Before making this post I tried to answer my own question by searching for Modest Mouse. Rather that directing me to specific posts that mention MM, it points me only to the thread, through which I have to search god-knows-how-many posts to find that one line containing my search words. Couldn't it at least display the search words in a different colour so they stand out against the rest of the text? Better yet, take me to the specific posts that contain my search word(s). OK, rant over.

Mark

[Davey]

So what are you Mouseites thinking? As good as "The Moon..."? Good, but doesn't approach the quality of earlier Mouse droppings...? Sucks hippo balls???? Bottom line: should I crowbar open my wallet and just buy the damn thing?

[Warning**** rant of the day to follow] On a totally unrelated note, does anyone else think as I do that the search function on this board is totally useless? Before making this post I tried to answer my own question by searching for Modest Mouse. Rather that directing me to specific posts that mention MM, it points me only to the thread, through which I have to search god-knows-how-many posts to find that one line containing my search words. Couldn't it at least display the search words in a different colour so they stand out against the rest of the text? Better yet, take me to the specific posts that contain my search word(s). OK, rant over.
Last one first. All you have to do is click on the little posts option circle instead of the default threads option and you get all you want, posts and highlights. Comes up with 46 matches for "modest mouse".

http://members.mailaka.net/davey/search.gif

I like the new Modest Mouse album a lot. I haven't really fallen in love with it, but no denying that it has a lot of charm. I don't like that they compressed the s<a>hit out of it like most other top 40 crap, but what ya gonna do, still good music. Couple songs that don't do much for me, but that's always gonna be the case with an Isaac Brock led band. Some real standouts too. Definitely one to pick up. Billboard top 20! Even gets rotation on MTV. Ughhhhhh!

OK, so what. Franz Ferdinand and Secret Machines are in rotation on MTV too. Guess I'm starting to soften up in my old age :)

[mad rhetorik]

That would be <b>Good News For People Who Love Bad News</b>. To the MTV listener, this is the album that has "Float On" on it. It's been quite popular on the radio lately. Real catchy--reminds me a bit of the Talking Heads. Pretty neat music video too.

I haven't heard the rest of the album yet, but the general consensus among the fans (read: stuck-up indie scenesters) is that it's a "sellout." Some of these yobs were saying the same thing about <b>The Moon And Antarctica</b> a while ago when "Gravity Rides Everything" showed up in a Nissan commercial, despite how good that album was. Seems like the indier-than-thou crowd gets their pants in a bunch every time the general public likes one of their "underground" bands. Tossers.

Ranting aside, I need to check out <b>Lonesome Crowded West</b> one of these days too. I've heard that's really good.

[Ex Lion Tamer]

Last one first. All you have to do is click on the little posts option circle instead of the default threads option and you get all you want, posts and highlights. Comes up with 46 matches for "modest mouse".


Well...that works much better, now doesn't it? Never tried, or even saw the "advanced search" option :confused: Thanks Davey.

Is MTV improving, or are our tastes worsening? Maybe the rest of the music-listening public is catching up ;) Don't listen to much radio or watch any MTV/MuchMusic, keeping me even further out of touch than I appear to be.

Thanks for the word on that new Mouse album, despitre my foirst impression, I'll pick it up. Is it my imagination, but does it sound as much like Ugly Casanova as it does earlier Modest Mouse?

Mark
NP: "Chilitetime" - Tindersticks (Can Our Love)

[Davey]

Thanks for the word on that new Mouse album, despite my first impression, I'll pick it up. Is it my imagination, but does it sound as much like Ugly Casanova as it does earlier Modest Mouse?
It is much like an amalgamation (a what?) of the last few albums, including the Ugly Casanova. Overall, it's not as edgy as Lonesome, not as epic as Moon, not as folky as Sharpen, but has bits and pieces of them all. I actually said in a previous post that I had almost the opposite reaction to you in my little indie store, as I thought it sounded even better playing in the store than what I had heard at home. Almost gave me a new appreciation for it. At least made me realize that they were indeed shaping the sound for a slightly different audience. "Bury Me With It" still rules, and is probably the only song that really harkens back solidly to the Lonesome Crowded West days, but that's OK.

PS, I love the Tindersticks :)

NP: Good News.......Bad News (nice article about Brock and the new album in the latest issue of MeanStreet at http://mag.meanstreet.com/article.php?article_id=241&issue_id=52)

[Slosh]

1. Yes, it's very good. I guess not much has been said because it's a typical MM album, and while that is indeed a very good thing, it doesn't really make me want to talk about it.

2. The compression is typical of most modern major label CDs but it's not You Forgot It In People bad. I believe it's available on vinyl so if the master isn't the cause of the compression...

3. Sony puts f<a>ucking Toto on SACD but not this? Huh?

[Davey]

2. The compression is typical of most modern major label CDs but it's not You Forgot It In People bad.
Hmmm, I don't quite understand that comment about Broken Social Scene. I do agree that You Forgot It In People is very compressed as well (sad, since it was released on a tiny indie label), maybe even as much as the Modest Mouse CD, but I think it is mastered much better. The Modest Mouse CD is very badly mastered with lots of clipping. Really incompetent work, but sadly not that unusual. Below is just a sample view of the Float On waveform. Note the long expanses of digital clipping. And this happens throughout. It's boosted way beyond the rails without applying enough compression. They just don't give a s<a>hit anymore. I would guess the vinyl is better since much of that hard digital limiting happens in the final CD master stage. Of course, if that's the file they use to master the vinyl then it won't sound much different :(

http://members.mailaka.net/davey/floaton.gif

[Slosh]

Hmmm, I don't quite understand that comment about Broken Social Scene. I do agree that You Forgot It In People is very compressed as well (sad, since it was released on a tiny indie label), maybe even as much as the Modest Mouse CD, but I think it is mastered much better. The Modest Mouse CD is very badly mastered with lots of clipping. Really incompetent work, but sadly not that unusual. Below is just a sample view of the Float On waveform. Note the long expanses of digital clipping. And this happens throughout. It's boosted way beyond the rails without applying enough compression. They just don't give a s<a>hit anymore. I would guess the vinyl is better since much of that hard digital limiting happens in the final CD master stage. Of course, if that's the file they use to master the vinyl then it won't sound much different :(

http://members.mailaka.net/davey/floaton.gif

Well, when lightly tapped hi-hats are as loud as the guitars......
Plus it has those spray can cymbals. The MM may be clipped but its top end still sounds better than BSS to me.

NP: "Without MSG I Am Nothing" - McLusky

[Davey]

Well, when lightly tapped hi-hats are as loud as the guitars......
Plus it has those spray can cymbals. The MM may be clipped but it's top end still sounds better than BSS to me.
Oh yeah, I agree, and that's the part that is so frustrating! Lurking beneath many of these horribly mastered CDs is often some very good sounding music, well recorded using lots of sophisticated modern studio electronics. But then they hand it to the apes that do the mastering and much of that work is ruined, at least what wasn't already ruined by incompetent engineers in the studio. In this case, credit for the mastering is given in the liner notes to Howie Weinberg at Masterdisk. I'd be embarassed to have my name on it if I did such a crappy job.


EDIT: Sorry, didn't really mean to hijack this thread into another of my rants against compression in modern music. I'm done now. Enough chasing windmills for one day http://forums.audioreview.com/images/icons/icon11.gif

[DariusNYC]

I like the richer, fatter, more diverse sound on this one, as compared to Moon & Antarctica. Speaking here both of the arrangements and the production. As far as the arrangements go, I think MM is just more musically interesting on this album (if not quite as lyrically intense and focussed) than previously -- they have become quite the virtuoso sound crafters (approaching Flaming Lips territory, completely escaping indie rock blahs). As for production, I always felt M&A had a cold and sterile sound to it that kept the songs from having quite the impact I wanted them to have; no such problem for me here. And I think Brock as a vocalist is just getting better with every album; he is just doing more things with his voice. And as excellent a bunch of tunes as on M&A. I hear a mature band at the top of their game.