[Rasta]

Ok, wondering why Modest Mouse has taken the thrown of 'best band in the last twenty years'?  IMHO, this is one of the best rock bands to come around in a long time.  Maybe since the Doors.

Really, when their library is "discovered", it will blow many away.

[rydenfan]

IMO, there are many greater bands in the last 20 years than Modest Mouse. I will need to think hard about it but just brainstorming a few:
Phish
Radiohead
Pearl Jam

[ecramer]

Never haerd of them be for your post. checking them out on there web site. Gong to have to give them some more listening time to see if they grow on me. liking what i heard so far but not completly blown away but i have only heard about 4 songs.

as far as the bands listed inthe second post to me they are not my cup of tea pretty much fm radio tripe

ED

[Ericus Rex]

Geez Dudes, to each, his (or her) own.

[ecramer]

  That was kinda a trollish post sorry bout that, if you ever check out the what are you listening to know thread you will see that i have no taste in music and not afraid to show it

ED

Geez Dudes, to each, his (or her) own.

[rydenfan]

Geez Dudes, to each, his (or her) own.

I am pretty sure that when a person posts in an on-line forum that a particular band is the best band in 20 years, and perhaps the best since all the way back to The Doors, that the post will be subject to question and other opinions. It is both a bold statement and much more a matter of opinion than fact.

[ecramer]

Since i had never heard of them i ask the girls down at my local record shop what they know of them and they gave them a thumbs up and said they would grad me a couple of used cd's when the came in to give me a listen. They have good idea of what i lke and don't so i will be giving them a listen in the future. as far as who is the best under apriciated band in the last 20 years i don't have any idea.

ED

[jon_010101]

Their last few cds have been pretty radio-ready, but I recommend their earlier stuff which is less produced - Lonesome Crowded West and Long Drive for Someone With Nothing to Think About, especially.  Probably not the best band of the last 20 years IMHO... but these albums make my personal top 20.  As far as indie bands go, Guided by Voices or Luna (and predecessor band Galaxie 500) have far more impressive resumes, but are even less known today.

[ecramer]

I wouldn't rate any  of the indie groups that i listen to as one of the best underachieving  bands in the last 20 years. while i do have some favorites and i could come up with a top twenty lesser known albums / artist list of material that i think would hold it's own against anything mainstream. Someone should start a new thread best unknown bands in the last 20 years, I;m sure there are a bunch of bands i would love to hear that i just don't know about

ED

Their last few cds have been pretty radio-ready, but I recommend their earlier stuff which is less produced - Lonesome Crowded West and Long Drive for Someone With Nothing to Think About, especially.  Probably not the best band of the last 20 years IMHO... but these albums make my personal top 20.  As far as indie bands go, Guided by Voices or Luna (and predecessor band Galaxie 500) have far more impressive resumes, but are even less known today.

[Rasta]

Ok, I am prone to obnoxious hyperbole.

But, their older stuff is just very interesting and largely ignored.  The newer stuff is a little too commercial - problem when money people get involved.

[acresm22]

Mark Kozelek (of Red House Painters and, more recently, Sun Kil Moon) put out an album a few years ago...Tiny Cities...which consists of covers of Modest Mouse tunes. Not covers exactly...these are Modest Mouse songs that are completely reimagined. MK did the same thing earlier with AC/DC songs.

Anyway, I was not particularly aware of Modest Mouse beyond one of their recent radio hits, which I intensely disliked (can't recall the name). I revisited some of their songs based solely on my love for MK's Tiny Cities album, and my opinion of Modest Mouse hasn't changed much. MK's covers are beautiful and kind of heart-breaking (as are most of his songs), but the originals are, uh, not (IMHO of course).

I'm not sure if "Ocean breathes salty" is considered one of the older Modest Mouse classics or their newer, pop-friendly stuff. But here are two links, one to the Modest Mouse original and the other to Sun Kil Moon's remake.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZE-ML-BAAfY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8i2tOfzyfk

[jon_010101]

I was listening to Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About last night, and I was reminded how good their early stuff was.  Really cool production, too, dynamic and analog-sounding and slightly phasey in a non-objectionable way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TK1bi4emEkk&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qD-ssGhX7s  (on the vinyl edition and Interstate 8 EP)

And, from Lonesome Crowded West:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjwhIzByM3E

Despite this funky MP3 rip, LCW is a frickin' hifi lofi album - try not to jump when the drums come in on track ... (not telling)   

Plus, some of my favorite lyrics ever...

I'm In Heaven
Trying To Figure Out Which Stack
They're Going To Stuff Us Atheists Into
And Peter And His Monkey Laugh
And I Laugh With Them
I'm Not Sure What At
We'll Keep You In The Back
Polishing Halos, Baking Manna And Gas
Well Some Guy Comes In Looking A Bit Like Everyone I Ever Seen
He Moves Just Like Crisco Disco
Breath 100% Listerine
He Says Looking At Something Else
But Directing Everything To Me
Every Time Anyone Gets On Their Knees To Pray
Well It Makes My Telephone Ring
And I'll Be Damned
He Said You Were Right
No One's Running This Whole Thing
He Had A Theory Too
He Said That God Takes Care Of Himself
And You Of You

[TRM]

fm radio tripe

That's an interesting assessment since Phish receives very, very little radio play.

[ecramer]

you must be listening to the wrong radio station  the musical director on the local WNTI pbs station is a huge jam band fan so i get a dirth of Phish, widespread panic greatfull dead and every other jam band  which still makes it the best over the air station i can pick up because they will still introduce me to music like
Letters from Sinners & Strangers
Eilen Jewell



Get Away from Me [EXPLICIT LYRICS]
Nellie McKay

fm radio tripe

That's an interesting assessment since C receives very, very little radio play.

[Hicks]

The Moon and Antarctica is highly underrated IMO, their best and probably a contender for one of the top 20-30 albums of the decade.

Do they come close to artists like Radiohead, Beck, Flaming Lips, Wilco and more recently Arcade Fire?  Not in my book.

[jon_010101]

The Moon and Antarctica is highly underrated IMO, their best and probably a contender for one of the top 20-30 albums of the decade.

Do they come close to artists like Radiohead, Beck, Flaming Lips, Wilco and more recently Arcade Fire?  Not in my book.

Moon and Antarctica was actually reviewed quite well by the indie magazines - 9.8 on Pitchfork's (arbitrary) scale is even 0.1 better than Arcade Fire's Funeral.    Funeral absolutely defined 2004 for me - I almost cried in my cubicle the first time I heard the first track, then listened to the entire CD without getting any work done.  I gave a bootleg copy (since it was sold out for weeks) to a waitress at my favorite diner, and got quite a few free sandwiches out of it.  And this (otherwise fantastic) album hardly captures the dynamics and energy of the band's live performances.

[Hicks]

The Moon and Antarctica is highly underrated IMO, their best and probably a contender for one of the top 20-30 albums of the decade.

Do they come close to artists like Radiohead, Beck, Flaming Lips, Wilco and more recently Arcade Fire?  Not in my book.

Moon and Antarctica was actually reviewed quite well by the indie magazines - 9.8 on Pitchfork's (arbitrary) scale is even 0.1 better than Arcade Fire's Funeral.    Funeral absolutely defined 2004 for me - I almost cried in my cubicle the first time I heard the first track, then listened to the entire CD without getting any work done.  I gave a bootleg copy (since it was sold out for weeks) to a waitress at my favorite diner, and got quite a few free sandwiches out of it.  And this (otherwise fantastic) album hardly captures the dynamics and energy of the band's live performances.

Perhaps it was well reviewed, but most Modest Mouse fans (see above comments) complained that it was "too mainstream" and was not at the level of LCW or This is a Long Drive.  Which may have been more due to the fact that it was released on a major than its actual musical content.

[ecramer]

well i ordered Moon and Antarctica  and i am going to give it a listen. I will post later if it gives me enough interest to check other stuff out by this band 

ED

[acresm22]

Another great Modest Mouse cover:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-adD-K_geu8&feature=related

[JoshK]

The Moon and Antarctica is highly underrated IMO, their best and probably a contender for one of the top 20-30 albums of the decade.

Do they come close to artists like Radiohead, Beck, Flaming Lips, Wilco and more recently Arcade Fire?  Not in my book.

We have very similar tastes then.  I really like M&A, probably the only MM album that I own that I've really gotten into (I have 3 or 4 of theirs).  Radiohead, Beck, Wilco and AF are amongst my favorites (along with Tool) and I like Flaming Lips, but I wouldn't put them in my favorites.

The latest MM album, We were Dead before the Ship Even Sank, made me question whether or not I even like MM.  To me this album has very little appeal....not sure why.