Modest Mouse Album: “Lonesome Crowded West”

From a contemporary rock music standpoint this album should not work. Strained, dischordant vocals, erratic changes in tempo, wacky and unconventional lyrics, and to top it all off a violinist?? Isaac Brock is either a mad man or a genius, I would estimate the latter. Brock successfully assembles this melange of eclectic and disparate rock sounds into 15 melodious and head nodding indie rock tunes. With clever guitar hooks accompanied by solid rythmn, Modest Mouse accomplishes what most indie bands can only aspire to: A fresh and coherent low-fi indie rock sound.

I can't tell you how impressed I am by this album. Songs like 'Conveinent Parking' and 'Doin' The Cockroach' highlight Modest Mouse's uncanny ability to deliver tight and often explosive indie-alternative music.

If you've never heard of Modest Mouse, or you've never listened to their music, YOU ARE MISSIONG OUT! I strongly suggest you give 'A Lonesome Crowded West' a try. It's the most cohesive and emblematic of the band's talent and style.

If you're just discovering Indie-alternative music this album will make you an instant fan!

Modest Mouse isn't going to hit you at first. they're not a band that will instantly seize you with some mindblowing riff or a groove that instantly draws you in.

It's the type of CD that you listen to at your friend's house and wonder 'what is this garbage?'. the wild tempo shifts, the confusing (if even barely coherent) lyrics - the unrelenting enthusiasm. think pavement meets fugazi meets southern twang. needless to say it's something that grows on you. you wont even know what's happening to you - it'll just be one day while you're reading or not even paying attention.

it hits you hard and you're hooked.

this is the sound of a band at the beginnings of their genius - where they started to grasp their own potential. their next cd starts to exploit their vision to the fullest - where the major label can afford them a large enough tapestry which to paint their vision.

the genius of 'ok computer' was planted in 'the bends'. the madness behind 'moon and antartica' is seen here. this cd isn't to miss. not if you care at all of the sad state of music today.

Modest Mouse are one of the better bands to come out of the Northwest Indie scene. A friend recommended them to me as "a Poor man's Built to Spill". That's not a fair comparison really; outside of a penchant for guitar noise and whiny vocals, these bands don't really have all that much in common. Lonesome Crowded West is probably their most solid album from beginning to end. If you like Lo-Fi indie rock ala Pavement's early albums, check this one out. The whole album is good, but songs like "Heart Cooks Brain" and "Out of Gas" really stand out.

I'm not one to throw around five stars willy-nilly, but if there's a band that deserves them, it's Modest Mouse.

Even though I consider Lonesome Crowded West to be the best Modest Mouse album so far, I wouldn't recommend it as an introduction to the band since some new-comers might be put off by the "rawness." If you're new to MM or indie in general, you should probably start with Good News for People Who Love Bad News or The Moon and Antarctica. Once you're aware of what the band is all about, get this album and prepare to be blown away.

Everything about this album, from the lyrics to the instrumentals, melds together like one incredible epiphany that will change the way you listen to music for the rest of your life. Even the title is simplistic genius.

Buy this CD, and you won't be disappointed. Cowboy Dan and Trailer Trash are worth the purchase price alone.

Modest Mouse is so great at creating emotion with music. They do this with Issac's amazing voice, screeching or soothing guitars, and an amazing blend of rhythem and chaos.

If you must have one Modest Mouse cd, get this one. It will take you on a journey through the west where you can meet cowboy dan, producing my favorite piece of imagery in a song ever. "He points his rifle in the sky and says: God if I have to die you will have to die!" I can just see a drunk man with nothing to lose giving his life to the devil.

I listen to this CD much more than I should, and you should too. Get this CD! It's well worth your money.