August 21, 2009

Album review: Modest Mouse - 'No One's First, And You're Next'

Distinctly average offering from old-school indie rockers

6 / 10 There’ve been two distinct stages to Modest Mouse’s long, convoluted 16-year history. The first can be defined by their 1996 debut album ‘This Is A Long Drive For Someone With Nothing To Think About’, which certified the Seattle-based outfit as the purveyors of disgruntled rock, backed by frontman Isaac Brock’s nihilistic snarl, shouts and all round anti-social attitude. This so enthralled and outraged his limited audience that he was often derided on internet forums as being a bit of a bell-end. Then there’s phase two, where Modest Mouse floated on into a different direction and saw fit to dull down their aggressive tendencies to become The OC-friendly manna for music misanthropes, with an added dose of Johnny Marr for good measure. It’s in this latter phase that we find Modest Mouse today; where Brock yelps and antagonises less and attempts to sing more, and where the guitars herald a sunshiny quirk heard on ‘Guilty Cocker Spaniel’ that’s overshadowed somewhat by the irritatingly depressing faux honky tonk of ‘Perpetual Motion Machine’. ‘The Whale Song’ may offer a solitary crumb for old skool Micers to nibble, but unfortunately this EP will not offer much else.

Ash Dosanjh

Click here to get your copy of Modest Mouse's 'No One's First And You're Next' from the Rough Trade shop.