Good News For People

I used to think that Modest Mouse was just Built to Spill rehashed for Pixies fans. In fact, the attention surrounding The Moon and Antarctica made me nauseous. I couldn’t believe that Modest Mouse was getting so much acclaim, but their latest album, Good News for People Who Love Bad News, has not only made me a believer, but also an avid fan. They still sound like the Pixies (that’s okay, a lot of bands do), but now, more than ever, Modest Mouse have finally come into their own.  

Did I mention that they have a hit song, over half a million album sales and one of the most pleasing-on-the-eyes music videos I’ve ever seen? Heading into Lollapalooza, Isaac Brock and the band are in the best shape of their career.

After a brief horn intro from The Dirty Dozen Brass band, Good News starts slowly with the dreamy “The World at Large,” a song that sounds right off of Brock’s latest album under his Ugly Casanova moniker. Next up is the monster single “Float On,” easily one of indie rock’s prize moments to date due to it’s constant Top 40 charting and undeniable boot-shaking appeal. Two layers of jangle guitar bounce over funky bass lines as Brock boasts and jokes, “a fake Jamaican took every last dime with that scam, / it was worth it just to learn some sleight of hand.”

“Float On” serves as a perfect sample of Good News‘ lyrical content. While the album does carry heavy themes of life and death, it can’t help but throw in optimistic jokes and pick-me-up one-liners left and right. On “Ocean Breathes Salty” Brock sings, “for your sake I hope heaven and hell are really there, / but I wouldn’t hold my breath.” Puns, naked symbolism, and outright punch-lines bounce off the walls on the catchy song questioning faith in a fashion that manages not to take any sort of religious stance.

Where past Modest Mouse releases thrived on hipster-chic appeal and Brock’s catchy vocal style, Good News improves on Modest Mouse’s previous sound and for the first time offers a complete collection of well penned, mature songs. Indie rock bands typically know how to pour on the style, but rarely do they focus on their lyrical content. Such is not the case with Good News; Brock is constantly doubling themes, masking them with a catchy gleam and moving onto the next idea. Supposedly, Good News was recorded in a hurry, it certainly wasn’t written in one.

I really didn’t want to like Good News or Modest Mouse in general. To me, they were always just another over-hyped, sound-a-like band with two or three songs. Almost half-way through 2004, Good News is hands down the best album I’ve heard this year. With Sonic Youth, Wilco and a slew of other good albums on the way before the end of the year, Good News will begin seeing some serious competition. Another hit single from Modest Mouse (“Black Cadillacs” or “Bury Me” would do the trick) just might be big enough to end the mall punk trend. Remember, “Teen Spirit” almost single handily “brought rock back.” Could Brock be the new Kurt? Nah, he’s too good.  9/10

Written by G. William Locke