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Modest Mouse

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Modest Mouse

Modest Mouse is an American indie rock band. They were formed in 1993 in Issaquah, Washington by guitarist Isaac Brock, drummer Jeremiah Green, bassist John Wickhart, and guitarist Dann Gallucci [1]. However, since their 1996 debut album This Is a Long Drive for Someone With Nothing to Think About, their lineup has been centered around guitarist Isaac Brock, drummer Jeremiah Green and bassist Eric Judy. Since being signed to Sony's Epic Records in 2000, the band has attained significant popular success. Elements of Modest Mouse's sound have been likened to or have been inspired by those of Elliott Smith, Pixies, Built to Spill, and numerous other alternative rock bands.

History

In 1994, the band as Isaac Brock, Jeremiah Green, John Wickhart, and Dann Gallucci recorded their debut EP, Blue Cadet-3, Do You Connect?, at Calvin Johnson's Dub Narcotic Studios, which was then released on Calvin's record label K Records. Then followed a single with Sub-Pop that was recorded by Steve Wold at Moon Studios. During this time, Modest Mouse also recorded their "would-be" debut album Sad Sappy Sucker, but constant delays caused the album to be shelved and forgotten (it was officially released in 2001). After moving to Up Records, losing bassist John Wickhart, temporarily losing guitarist Dann Gallucci, and gaining bassist Eric Judy [2], Modest Mouse put out several releases recorded at Moon Studios, including 1996's This Is a Long Drive for Someone With Nothing to Think About. This double LP was produced and recorded by Steve Wold (at this time Steve Wold was a member of the band as well). The next offering on UP was Interstate 8, also produced by Steve Wold. 1997's The Lonesome Crowded West, (also recorded at Moon Studios, by Scott Swayze) turned out to be the band's breakthrough album. The Lonesome Crowded West gained the band a cult following and is now widely considered by many critics to be one of the defining albums of mid-90s indie-rock. In 2000, Up released a singles and rarities collection entitled Building Nothing Out of Something, which included the entirety of Interstate 8 except for the songs "Edit the Sad Parts" and "Buttons to Push Buttons".

Also in 2000, Modest Mouse released The Moon and Antarctica, their first album on a major label (Epic Records). The band enjoyed some success on alternative radio with the singles "3rd Planet" and "Gravity Rides Everything." It was well received by some critics initially [3]including a 9.8 out of 10 by the online music review magazine Pitchfork Media. It has subsequently gone on to receive further acclaim [4]. Lead singer Isaac Brock has since put out an album with his side project Ugly Casanova on Sub Pop Records. The band licensed "Gravity Rides Everything" for a commercial for Nissan's Quest minivan, a move that Brock has publicly acknowledged as blatantly commercial but necessary to achieve financial stability. (Onion A.V. Club interview with Isaac Brock)

In 2001, Modest Mouse released the EP Everywhere & His Nasty Parlour Tricks, a collection of unused songs from the Moon and Antarctica recording sessions, and Sad Sappy Sucker, a collection of songs Modest Mouse recorded in 1994, originally intended to be their debut album, but shelved in favor of This is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About. In 2002, they joined Cake, De La Soul, The Flaming Lips, The Hackensaw Boys, and Kinky on the Unlimited Sunshine Tour.

In 2003, drummer Jeremiah Green quit the band due to a mental breakdown; the official word was that he was quitting to work with his side project, Vells. The same year he and bassist Eric Judy appeared on Adam Forkner's debut solo album, VVRSSNN. Green was replaced with two new members, drummer Benjamin Weikel (who also drummed for The Helio Sequence) and guitarist Dann Gallucci (who had been a member of Modest Mouse previously, and appears on Sad Sappy Sucker). On April 6, 2004, Modest Mouse released their most recent album, the platinum-selling Good News for People Who Love Bad News, which scored two hits with "Float On" and "Ocean Breathes Salty". Later that year, Jeremiah Green returned to the band, and Benjamin Weikel returned to drumming exclusively for The Helio Sequence. Dann Gallucci left the band in August, and they have been touring with Jim Fairchild of Grandaddy and All Smiles.

Modest Mouse was mentioned by name in the 2005 Supreme Court decision in the case of MGM v. Grokster. Justice Souter wrote that on the Grokster P2P network, "Users seeking Top 40 songs, for example, or the latest release by Modest Mouse, are certain to be far more numerous than those seeking a free Decameron, and Grokster and StreamCast translated that demand into dollars."

We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank

Main article: We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank

The band had planned and began to play a string of shows on the West Coast of the United States in August of 2006, but a recent update on Epic Records' Modest Mouse site states that the shows will be postponed due to the band working on recording their new album, entitled We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank. The new album was recorded in Mississippi and is being produced by Dennis Herring, who also produced Good News for People Who Love Bad News.

As of June 26, 2006, the band has finished its recording in Oxford, Mississippi at Sweet Tea Recording Studio with producer Dennis Herring and has returned to Portland, Oregon to finish overdubs and mixing. Johnny Marr is a confirmed member of the band, co-writing songs for the new album with Isaac Brock. [5] According to Brock himself, Marr is now "a full blown member of the band," [6] and he will tour with the band in the near future. Brock appears excited about the album, describing it as a "nautical balalaika carnival romp" [7].

The first single, "Dashboard", was played on KNDD, a radio station in Washington, at midnight on New Years' 2007, and has subsequently been ripped and made available across the internet. As of January 8, 2007, it has begun playing on some other radio stations as well. The band began streaming the single on their myspace page on January 3, 2007.

The music video for "Dashboard," was directed by Mathew Cullen and Grady Hall of Motion Theory.

The album, which was originally planned to be released on December 19, 2006, was postponed, and is now set to be released on March 20, 2007, according to their label. [8]

The tracklist has also recently been revealed. The band has released the artwork for their new album on their Myspace page (www.myspace.com/modestmouse), and also on their Epic Records site (www.modestmousemusic.com).

Blender Magazine named Modest Mouse the 25th reason to love 2007 because of their up and coming fifth album. [1]

A copy of the album leaked onto various file sharing networks on February 15th, 2007.

Other members

Discography

Wikiquote has quotations related to Modest Mouse.
Main article: Modest Mouse discography

Albums

EPs and other collections

Singles

References

  1. ^ "http://www.blender.com/guide/articles.aspx?id=2388&src=blender_ed"
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