Read Review of The Moon & Antarctica (Expanded Edition) by Modest...
Review Summary
About the Author
The Moon & Antarctica: Drinkin' Coca Cola with Modest Mouse
Dec 13 '04 (Updated Dec 13 '04)
Pros Some amazing songs, entertaining lyrics, diverse arrangements
Cons Bogs down a little in the middle.
The Bottom Line Great indie (or is it mainstream?) pop from an oft overlooked band. Modest Mouse impresses me with The Moon & Antarctica.
Full Review
It took until the rest of the world also stumbled upon Modest Mouse for me to get a taste of the band. I am embarrassed to admit that it took so long to discover such an exuberant, intelligent, and well rounded band. Boasting some of the most appealing songs, melodies, and vocals I've heard in a long time Modest Mouse has been around now for over a decade. Those years have yielded six well received albums though it took until 2004's Good News for People Who Love Bad News and single Float On before they were awarded the attention long overdue.
Isaac Brock (guitar, vocals), Eric Judy (bass), and Jeremiah Green (drums) comprise the powerful pop-based Washington state band Modest Mouse. If forced to describe them, I would say they are emotional, effervescent, detail-oriented, and fun. Able to seamlessly blend kitschy elements and fantastic music-making the band has made a name for themselves. Their style has changed over the course of their six albums from guitar pop to brooding pop and from energetic pop to acoustic pop. Of course, the common denominator has always been pop of the indie variety and most definitely not the kind usually heard on MTV or mainstream radio.
Good News for People Who Love Bad News was a good, if not great album. However I had heard rumors that it paled in comparison to some of Modest Mouse's earlier efforts. I never doubted the claim, but I was delinquent in following up with any real research. A half-assed investigation led me to the band's 2000 major label (Epic) debut The Moon & Antarctica (their fourth album overall). Regarded by some folks as the band's best effort to date, it sheds a different light on the usually kinetic band.
I was introduced to Modest Mouse as a high-energy band. It's refreshing to see them more subdued and somewhat more serious. The fact that they can be something other than hip and upbeat is representative of their creativity and talent. The Moon & Antarctica however isn't a major stretch--it's a refinement. The slight alternations are to the benefit of this album. Had Modest Mouse gone with their original formula they may have had an early hit and been discarded as a one-hit-wonder. I salute them for bravely mixing things up on their Epic debut and for risking the alienation of a tried and true audience.
The Moon & Antarctica is an impressive album that appeals to me on visceral, emotional, and surface levels. The visceral and surface appeal is what draws me in, but it is the emotional that makes me stick around. The album has recently been re-released and four additional live songs have been added to the mix (BBC radio recordings of 3rd Planet, Perfect Disguise, Custom Concern, and Tiny Cities Made of Ashes). These extra songs aren't by any means necessary as outside of the instrumental Custom Concern all the originals are available on the same album. It's just an extra treat for dedicated fans of the band.
I was immediately sucked into this album beginning with 3rd Planet. A typically upbeat, funky, acoustic number it possesses one of the catchiest choruses of this album or any other I'm familiar with from Modest Mouse. It is immediately gratifying and fabulously entertaining from Brock's boyish voice to the off-kilter instrumentation. The words aren't exactly profound, but they are nicely arranged and well thought out. Oh, and they are wonderfully appealing:
The universe is shaped exactly like the earth if you go
straight long enough you'll end up where you were
I pretty much adore everything about The Moon & Antarctica. Gravity Rides Everything isn't one of the premier songs, but it is still lovely and heart-felt. Dark Center of the Universe is another upbeat track along the lines of 3rd Planet, but it is somehow darker and more brooding. However, I think it is with Perfect Disguise that the album takes a turn toward melancholy. Beautiful melodies, a plodding pace, intense vocals, and even a banjo make it as off-kilter as it is sorrowful. This is in major contrast to the upbeat songs I've come to appreciate from Modest Mouse but instead of sounding artificial it seems rather comfortable and honest.
Tiny Cities Made of Ashes is a retro, jumpy, chaotic little piece featuring Brock chanting and backed by thick guttural vocals. This is the kind of song that is impossible to classify--strange, disturbing, bleak, and energetic all at the same time. I'm reminded of a mix between Joe Jackson and Presidents of the USA with a dash of Stereo MCs. Strange, yes, but also incredibly entertaining and one of the most appealing moments of the entire album. And like 3rd Planet, the lyrics are wonderfully memorable (though more than slightly asinine):
Does anybody know a way that a body could get away?
Does anybody know a way?
We're drinkin' drinkin' drinkin' drink' coca coca cola
I can feel it rolling right on down
Oh right on down my throat
As we're headed down the road towards tiny cities made of ashes
The Moon & Antarctica is a nice, long album. There are no bad parts--just less memorable ones (as it typical of such long efforts). A Different Song is not one of the more interesting songs, but it is still spiky and jaunty and well worth a listen. It is particularly memorable when compared to the trio of songs that follows--The Cold Part, Alone Down There, and The Stars are Projectors. Whereas some of the other tracks are plainly odd, these are sweeping and majestic pieces. In particular, the last song clocks in at nearly nine minutes. They represent the heart of this musical piece--helpless, black, and pained. I prefer the earlier and latter songs, but still these are worth checking out.
Wild Packs of Family Dogs is a lively acoustic offering augmented by Brock's quirky voice, a hilarious story (his little sister taken away and eaten up by a pack of wild family dogs?), an accordion, a cowbell, and various other less marked percussion. The brief, tragically funny story is one of the best of the album. Paper Thin Walls, the guitar-heavy I Came as a Rat, and Lives are also outstanding songs. In particular, I enjoy I Came as a Rat. Disguised as a straightforward acoustic alt-rock track, it is striking and rich in imagery.
As the original The Moon & Antarctica draws to a close, Life Like Weeds and What People Are Made Of are charged with leaving a positive impression on the listener. The former is a decent track, but it is the latter that really puts everything in perspective. Chunky, bombastic, and frenzied it is less tidy than the other fourteen offerings. However, it is What People Are Made Of that makes it clear that Modest Mouse can do more than just be funny guys or sad guys--they are also rockers.
The 2004 re-release of the album collects and additional four live BBC radio performances. The selections don't come as any shock. In particular, I'm impressed by the songs 3rd Planet and Tiny Cities Made of Ashes. Of course I adore the original versions, so it should come as no surprise that I like these earthy recordings. They are crystal clear, enjoyable, energetic, and perfect (outside of the occasional bleep which is moderately annoying). Custom Concern is the only song that bores me at all on this entire album. Considering it's an instrumental bonus track, that speaks volumes for the overall quality of the disc.
If you too have just stumbled across Modest Mouse within the last year or so, it is definitely time to check out some of the band's earlier material. The Moon & Antarctica is a striking piece of music. Moody and lovely, energetic and melodic it provides many opportunities for emotional release. Bravo, boys, bravo.
Rating: 5/5 stars
Track Listing:
01. 3rd Planet
02. Gravity Rides Everything
03. Dark Center Of The Universe
04. Perfect Disguise
05. Tiny Cities Made Of Ashes
06. Different City, A
07. Cold Part, The
08. Alone Down There
09. Stars Are Projectors, The
10. Wild Packs Of Family Dogs
11. Paper Thin Walls
12. I Came As A Rat
13. Lives
14. Life Like Weeds
15. What People Are Made Of
16. 3rd Planet (BBC radio performance)
17. Perfect Disguise (BBC radio performance)
18. Custom Concern (BBC radio performance)
19. Tiny Cities Made of Ashes (BBC radio performance)
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