Long, Painful, Weird Journey into Modest Mouse Territory
Written: Mar 17 '05
Product Rating:
Pros: A handful of fine enough songs...
Cons: Lots of screaming, obtuse lyrics, and out-of-tune moments...
The Bottom Line: Modest Mouse deserves every bit of praise they've earned in the last two years. Too bad that Long Drive doesn't reflect the band's talent.
lambchops's Full Review: This Is a Long Drive For Someone With Nothing to T...
Every band has to get its start someplace. For Modest Mouse, that place was with 1996’s This is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Talk About. From here on out known simply as Long Drive, the album wasn’t remarkable nor did it foretell of the musical wonders that were to come. The sixteen-song debut is merely a slight introduction to the unusual Washington alt-pop band.
While it was Long Drive that first appeared on the shelves courtesy of Up Records, the band had previously recorded Sad Sappy Sucker which was intended to be their 1994 debut. Lost for years, it was published finally in 2001. Even in these earliest outings, the trio exhibited a still immature but introspective, creative, and energetic start that would emerge fully developed on 2000’s Moon and Antarctica. Isaac Brock (vocals, guitars), Eric Judy (bass), and Jeremiah Green (drums) of course didn’t really get their shot at fame until last year when their sixth album somehow landed on MTV and radio. It was an odd, but refreshing move for mainstream media.
Long Drive is sometimes easy on the ears but there are a few painfully and intentionally atonal moments. It’s also rather lengthy at sixteen tracks clocking in at 74 minutes and 5 seconds. While I appreciate the attempt at making a cohesive, entertaining, musically rich album I can think of very few reasons outside of having perfect music that any debut album should be this unabashedly indulgent. Modest Mouse was yet unproven at the time of this release and considering the sometimes lacking quality of the songs the album is often ponderous. Saving the off-kilter affair from complete ruin is the occasional improbable flickering of musical genius.
Dramamine is a lovely song—easily my favorite of all of Long Drive. It is placed comfortably at the beginning and bodes well for the remaining fifteen songs. The opening is absolutely reminiscent of the first few songs on Good News for People Who Love Bad News with those weirdly spacey guitar noises and light percussion. In the end, the song is a straight-forward pop gem. Brock spits out his words angrily—a style which contrasts the low key arrangement of the song. I can’t help but be drawn to the track. I crave more but am rewarded instead with only tasteless generic foodstuff.
Fortunately there a few other moments that I am drawn to tossed about Long Drive. Second song Breakthrough is a chunky pop track clearly influenced by new wave. Brock’s yelp seems controlled and intentional—something which is conspicuously lacking from many other songs. Custom Concern speaks to the tragic working drone in us all. Obtuse but forceful, I’m attracted to the track.
Unfortunately from the fourth track on almost entirely disappointed by Long Drive. Maybe it’s because I’ve heard the band’s excellent albums from recent years, but I honestly expected more. I suppose I should just be grateful that they improved with time—like fine wine or cheese. My lack of appreciation for the album stems from my distaste for purposefully nonsensical lyrics combined with my lack of appreciation for tinny, atonal songs. Beach Side Property begins with maracas and Brock screaming. The scream is, of course, immediately off-putting. Even worse? He continues doing the same damn thing at the beginning of each verse. It’s truly horrific. Similarly painful is She Ionizes & Atomizes in which the song itself is slow and mellow but singer Brock seems to have no control over his chords. It is so awful I cannot even figure out what he is saying outside of the grunts, groans, and screeches.
Long Drive makes the occasional reprieve. Head South is a chipper, lovely pop track that remains among the most effervescent of the album. It’s not really memorable, but it sounds nice. The coughs and gasps that pollute Dog Paddle make it entirely unpalatable. Add Brock’s yelling to the mix and I’m even less turned on by the song. Novocain Stain and Tundra/Desert are definitely easier on the ears, but as songs they really go nowhere. Ohio on the other hand is rather annoying. The song itself is one of the more chipper offerings, but the way Brock insists on singing the state name is annoying at best and injures my overall impression of the song.
As Long Drive finally nears the end it leaves me with a sour taste in my mouth. I really, honestly wanted to like it (heck—I bought it for full price) but there is scant redeeming value outside of the knowledge that every band has to start somewhere. Both Make Everyone Happy/Mechanical Birds and Space Travel is Boring fail to connect. The former is a slow, plodding, melodramatic offering while the latter is plainly unremarkable and reeks of the band’s apparent appreciation of Presidents of the United States of America.
Seriously folks, this album makes me yawn. Unless you are a major fan of Modest Mouse and want to own everything the band has ever done, I highly suggest you buy any other album than Long Drive. It’s tired, boring, overlong, unimpressive, unemotional, and excruciatingly off-key. Not to sound like a broken record, but you’d be best off getting Moon & Antarctica or Good News for People Who Love Bad News.
Rating: 2/5 stars
Track Listing:
01. Dramamine
02. Breakthrough
03. Custom Concern
04. Might
05. Lounge
06. Beach Side Property
07. She Ionizes and Atomizes
08. Head South
09. Dog Paddle
10. Novocain Stain
11. Tundra/Desert
12. Ohio
13. Exit Does Not Exit
14. Talking Shit About a Pretty Sunset
15. Make Everyone Happy/Mechanical Birds
16. Space Travel is Boring
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