muddled mouse

Modest Mouse is not a new band. As such, it was easy to pick out the aging ex college radio volunteers amidst a swarm of mickey slamming teens. There were even a few bearded fathers taking their young kids to the show. I bet Dad hasn’t told them their conception story; a late night in some pacific-northwest dorm room, a “Talking Shit About A Pretty Sunset” cover. You know how these things work.

Rifts between new and old shouldn’t be looked at as a bad thing, instead more as a testament to Modest Mouse’s longevity and ability to span generations. But longevity means lines are going to be drawn not only between fans, but throughout the bands career as well.

The venue was the PNE Forum aka shitbox of sound. This was bad news for 87% of the crowd, although it would’ve been great news for fans of pre polished Mouse. The hollow yelps and desperate guitars found in Isaac Brocks lonely soundscape of the mid nineties are perfectly matched to the barren Forum. So yeah, “Oceans Breathes Salty” and “Float On” sounded terrible. “Tiny Cities Made of Ashes” sounded more fitting.

We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank obviously made up a good portion of the evening. Hearing the punchy guitars of Johnny Marr and Brock swerve down mainstream highway put a thought in my head. If spunky songs like “We’ve Got Everything” allow Modest Mouse to compete in the charts against a bunch of songs featuring Akon then so be it. It’s just shitty to think that gems like “Cowboy Dan” and “Polar Opposites” might get forgotten.