MODEST MOUSE Lonesome Crowded West 2LP MINT Up 97 ORIG

$

94

Modest Mouse

The Lonesome Crowded West
Double LP - original issue on TWO seperate LPs, each in their own jacket!



  Condition: MINT !!!!! Up Records : UP 44


LP Review:

The Lonesome Crowded West is an exemplary model of classic Modest Mouse. It is been stated to be the album that defines the band. It represents all that they stand for and proves to the music world that they are more than just another indie rock band. Modest Mouse not only does a magical job of writing symbolic lyrics; they also weave a tapestry of interesting tales. This stellar album is an effectively conceptual album, expressing Brock's disapproval at the ever-present onslaught of western society while also exerting the psychological virtues of cutting ties from loved ones and traveling forward into unknown territories. Brock seems to have hit upon a unique concept for this album by throwing everything up into the air, leaving the occasional repeated lyrics or image to bewilder and intrigue the listener. The lyrics are poetic and emotionally provocative but not for the easily offended. One thing is for sure Modest Mouse's music is neither modest or mouse-like.

The intense and powerful album first explodes with the fast tempo of “Teeth Like God’s Shoeshine,” a quick tune, which is riveting, inspiring, and psychologically surprising. Next the album progresses into “Heart Cooks Brain” which is an eclectic tune with a pleasant rhythm and lyrics stating the “In this life that we call home the years go so fast and the days go so slow.” “Convenient Parking” which begins low key, turns into a powerful chorus expressing the pointlessness of living in today's crowded west with lyrics stating “aren’t you feeling real dirty sitting in your car with nothing.” “Lounge (Closing Time)” has a fun, funky style combined with nice guitar and bass accompaniment. It deals with the feeling of isolation at closing time stating “I’m on the road to God don’t know, my brain's the burger and my heart's the coal, it’s closing time,” which, not coincidentally considering Isaac's penchant for repeating certain lines, is also stated in “Heart Cooks Brain." “Jesus Christ Was An Only Child” features an acoustic guitar and a fiddle tackling the commercialization of religion rather bluntly. “Doin’ the Cockroach” is always a hit and coveted at any live performances, judging from the crowds repeated pleas. One poignant line that sticks out with me is “I was in Heaven, I was in Hell, believe in neither but fear them as well.” “Out of Gas” is an interesting track with a soft intro. that kicks into a groovy chorus. “Trucker's Atlas” could possibly be my favorite track on the album, with its angular sound and Brock's angst-ridden voice it may be an acquired taste for some, but for others this is indie-rock at its best.

Other wondrous highlights to the album are quality songs that serve as a tribute to the poor working class of today. “Cowboy Dan” has dynamic lyrics stating “Every time you think you're walking you're just moving the ground, Every time you think you're talking your just moving your mouth, Every time you think you're looking you're just looking down.” Another example of this is “Trailer Trash” with a chorus stating “live in trailers with no class, taking heartache with hard work, Goddamn I am such a jerk, I can’t do anything”. “Polar Opposites” is a lovable, almost poppy tune exuding an emotional state dealing with the barren plain of alcoholism and depression with lyrics such as “I’m trying to drink away the part of the day that I cannot sleep away.”

The Lonesome Crowded West is a record of indisputable excellence and yet limitless frustrations. It is sheer amazement that Brock manages to articulate all of lifes major questions and difficulties in such an insightful and thought provoking way. Sometimes layered, sometimes raw, sometimes spastically refusing to settle down, The Lonesome Crowded West is as baffling as it is amazing. Modest Mouse deals with ugly subjects and it does so effectively, with honesty and enlightened understanding. Stylistically it can be both coarse and difficult. The lyrics on within display a wide variety of themes including anger, shame, subservience, isolation, alcoholism, religious confusion, commercialism, corruption, self-loathing, and self-destruction. Somehow Isaac manages to grasp these ideas and throw them altogether onto one paper plate, stirred around with a plastic fork, and molded into one man's abstract history lesson about the downfall of western civilization.









Band Bio:

Issaquah, WA, indie rock trio Modest Mouse was formed in 1993 by vocalist/guitarist Isaac Brock, bassist Eric Judy, and drummer Jeremiah Green. After honing their muscular sound in "The Shed" -- a makeshift practice space built by Brock on the land next to his mother's trailer -- Modest Mouse entered Calvin Johnson's Dub Narcotic Studios to cut their 1994 self-titled debut single, released on Johnson's K Records label. Following a move to the Up label, the trio issued two 1996 LPs, This Is a Long Drive for Someone With Nothing to Think About and Interstate 8.

After returning to K, Modest Mouse released The Fruit That Ate Itself in 1997; its follow-up from later that year, The Lonesome Crowded West, was the band's breakthrough, and in the wake of a major-label bidding war, they signed to Sony. The rarities collection Building Nothing out of Something appeared on Up in early 2000, followed later that year by their long-awaited Epic debut, The Moon & Antarctica. In 2001, the band issued the Everywhere and His Nasty Parlor Tricks EP and K released Sad Sappy Sucker, a "lost album" that was intended to be the group's full-length debut back in 1994. Brock kept busy with his Ugly Casanova side project, which delivered Sharpen Your Teeth in 2002. Modest Mouse finally returned in 2004 with Good News for People Who Love Bad News, their best-received record and a Top 40 hit as well.




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