Modest Mouse | No One's First and You're Next | Review

Article Contributed by stieber | Published on Thursday, September 3, 2009

My feelings towards Modest Mouse have always been lukewarm. They are one of the few bands whose albums I cannot listen to from start to finish. To be perfectly honest, I usually only like a couple of the tracks on their albums and then find the other songs pretty unlistenable. When I heard they had a new EP, I was pretty indifferent.

No One’s First, and You’re Next was a pleasant surprise. I never expected for their latest release to be one of my favorites. Even though the EP is mostly b-sides from Good News for People who Love Bad News and We Were Dead Before the Ship Ever Sank, the album sounds fresh. It has a classic rock feel mixed with an ambient tone and a hint of folk rock. As with most Modest Mouse, it is difficult to classify this album. The first track Satellite Skin sounds like it could be a Rolling Stones song where as track 2, Guilty Cocker Spaniels, made me think of bluegrass. Modest Mouse has a varied fan base so I am certain this EP will not be for everyone but I really enjoy it. I may not like all of their material but appreciate Modest Mouse’s constantly evolving sound. I am eagerly anticipating their next LP.