minorthreat78's Full Review: Good News for People Who Love Bad News by Modest M...
I don't know exactly what it says about the current socio-political climate in the United States, but there seems to be quite the trend in the rock music biz toward more angst-ridden, mopey tracks getting played on the radio. Denizens of the indie-rock scene like Death Cab for Cutie, Cursive, and the like are getting a fair amount of radio play for bands that aren't even on major labels. And even the majors seem to be joining in, following in the success stories in alternative rock radio of A.F.I., Story of the Year, Brand New, et al. It almost seems as though you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a nasally voiced lead singer bent on sharing his inner turmoil with the home listening audience.
I suppose in many ways it is fitting that Sony Music would so heavily promote the new LP from Modest Mouse, Good News for People Who Love Bad News, even purchasing (gods almighty) TV commercial time to hype the album. One of the top cult bands around and one of the contenders to the throne of Top Mope Rock Act, Modest Mouse would certainly seem to be the next band to move up in the world of music. After all, if you want angst, despair, and catchy choruses, you might as well have the real deal.
The centerpiece of Modest Mouse is undoubtedly frontman Isaac Brock. His dreary whine of vocals is both plantive and listenable, a challenge even at the best of times, while his angular guitar riffs merge elements of Fugazi, Sonic Youth and The Pixies. Brock, along with bassist Eric Judy and drummer Jeremiah Green, had managed on their previous album, The Moon and Antarctica, to produce a true classic of indie-rock/pop mope music, and, for many in their fan base, the follow-up has been long-awaited.
On Good News..., the band finds itself with more studio time, more money, and more potential for experimentation. This is both a good and a bad thing. While the notion of added freedom has a certain panache to it, the reality is that the band is a little too fond of zany studio tricks to keep the quality as consistent as found on previous albums. Gratuitious string arrangements and synth/drum machine multi-tracking occasionally threaten to de-rail the tracks, and the sense of "busy-ness" on the album is obvious.
However, there is a good point to this as well. On many occasions, this mish-mash of staid indie-pop and quirky electronica work together pretty well. On the album's lead-off single, "Float On", the merging is shown to be quite effective, keeping the track from being a tepid acoustic pop song. Other examples on "The World at Large" and "Bury Me With It" show that the band often can maintain experimentation and self-control; just not always.
Overall, fans of the band will not be disappointed by this album, and many new fans might be inclined to check them out based on the higher profile the band is getting. Their lyrics are dark and often nihilistic, but to those who appreciate such things, this album is certainly going to be worth a look, even if other albums by Modest Mouse are at least a little better.
Produced by Dennis Herring (Camper Van Beethoven), the latest release from the Seattle-based indie rockers sees a return of guitarist Dann Gallucci (l...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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