A lot of bloggers have been talking recently about the upcoming Modest Mouse album. Rightly so, since they’re one of the most exciting bands around these days (and now that Carissa’s Wierd has broken up, probably my favorite current band). And there’s other news. CMJ reports:
While reports of a glittering white unicorn trotting down Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg are still unverified, Modest Mouse frontman Isaac Brock has confirmed a similarly mythical rumor: Former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr is now a permanent part of the Pacific-Northwest band.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Brock said Marr “made a cautious commitment to write and record with us, and then the tighter we got, he was like ‘OK, let’s tour too.'”
Modest Mouse, with newby Marr, will tour in support of their forthcoming album, We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank, which Marr helped write and record.
Brock told Rolling Stone that after the decision to have Marr tour with the Modest Mouse, “he was pretty much a member of the band—not pretty much. He’s a full blown member of the band. It’s really fuckin’ nice.”
Fuckin’ nice, indeed.
Jeepers. Pretty exciting…
No release date has been set yet, but it sounds like the recording is basically done so it’s only a matter of time.
I’m not getting my hopes up that the new record will match up to the masterpiece of The Lonesome Crowded West, but frankly it could be half that good and still easily be among my favorites for the year. They’re also going on tour once the record is released and I will do pretty much everything I can to go see them. I’m often disappointed by live shows but every time I’ve seen Modest Mouse, it’s been a fantastic show.
Anyways, since we’ll soon be treated to new Modest Mouse, let’s mix things up a little bit now and go back to one of their earliest songs, off Sad Sappy Sucker.
On the whole, I don’t really like this album, but there are a few very strong moments. This is the best. It’s got that Modest Mouse feel, but it’s a little quieter, even more lo-fi, and Isaac Brock’s warble sounds positively young.