Search - Modest Mouse :: Moon & Antarctica

Just when I had about given up on contemporary rock...

Thomas Aikin | San Diego, CA | 07/14/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The year two-thousand reminds me a lot of 1990. Various dance pop groups and a style of mainstream that has completely stangnated. Most of my interest with rock music has been waiting for the next Radiohead album. In spite of this I try to keeb tabs on the "indie-rock" culture, and pick up an occassional album I really enjoy. After seeing a couple of really favorable reviews of The Moon and Anarctica I decided to pick it up when released. My first impression was that it was very good but now it has become one of very few rock albums in the past five years which have earned near non-stop rotation in my CD player. Modest Mouse is one of a very selective group to successfully blend all of the streams for rock's leanings into post-modernism. Basically its clear to that this album stems from the indie scene but has grown to be a bit more well-rounded. There's a lot of Pixies pop-punk present but also a lot of Radiohead or Pink Floyd spaciness. A lot of the lyrics (which are brilliantly nonsensical) even have some kind of space theme going. Producer Brian Deck has done a magnificent job giving the songs an extremely detailed and dense sound while retaining the raw, bleeding, amateurish sound of the band. In the end what makes the album is a strong group of diverse sounding songs that are seamlessly brought together for a nice cohesive listen. Many of the songs feature delicate echoey guitar lines, while others are impressively visceral punk outings. Thrown in occassionally are odd supporting instruments like banjo or violin. The songs are complicated enough to take a bit of getting used to but hold on up for obsessive listening. Modest Mouse are all still in their early to mid-twenties and have substantial room to polish and complete their sound. Given that Moon and Antarctica is a near-masterpiece and my early pick for album of the year. Time to go check out the rest of their catalogue. Highly recommended for those who looking for freshness in their rock."

Not so modest

Matthew D. Mercer | Chicago, IL United States | 07/05/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Modest Mouse has signed with Epic, which has afforded the band to be not half as modest, at least not in studio time and production. Each song on this album is meticulously crafted and tweaked; there is not a track that avoids some post-production manipulation. In this sense the album parallels Radiohead's OK Computer to an extent, but that's where the similarities end. Whereas OK Computer is a massively overproduced (in the best possible way) album, The Moon and Antarctica appears to be less an album of self-indulgence and more a seized opportunity to explore new territory for the band. Isaac Brock's lyrics remain as dry and cynical as ever, while the musical arrangements appear to have opened up a great deal to incorporate more extensive use of the violin and bits and pieces of odd electronic effects. "The Stars Are Projectors" is the album's centerpiece, with its off-kilter arrangement and melancholy lyrics, but there are no real disappointments in the album as a whole, whereas past releases often proved to be more on the hit-or-miss side. Highly recommended, despite any reservations of the band joining the major label playing field."

Takes me to the Moon, a trip I deeply appreciate

meltingyellow | Hawaii | 12/13/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I first heard Modest Mouse from bits of 'Interstate 8' and 'Lonesome Crowded West', and of the three I think I like 'Interstate 8' the best. Not to say that this is a bad album. This is a pretty *great* album actually. After listening to "The Moon & Antarctica," I now consider myself a full-fledged fan.First, Modest Mouse makes very atmospheric music. It's the kind of rock that swallows up your environment and replaces it with a color and shape unique to MM. The world looks different when listening to "Moon.." And that's an awesome feat for any rock band, in my opinion. Rather than adding to the noise pollution, the music offers something worthy of giving it your full attention. It has a different feel, a different air, hence why it "takes me to the moon."Second, the album has musical merit. Some indie rock falls short of showing any songwriting talent, but that isn't the case with MM. The compositions are beautiful, and Isaac Brock's voice, though unconventional sounding, fits surprisingly well into the music scheme. I love the lyrics, too; like the album, they possess their own off-beat poetry.In a nutshell, this album is a soothing concoction of dark, edgy soundscapes. It feins familiarity with its distorted guitar, but once you get in it will take you to a place all its own. Modest Mouse has tapped a new source for poetic rock. For anyone curious to know what that sounds like, I recommend you buy the cd and find out for yourself."