This enjoyable collection of odds and ends by Modest Mouse—an
EP of eight tracks at 33 minutes—collects holdovers from the
group’s previous two LPs and serves as a fitting snapshot of a fecund
career.
Opener “Satellite Skin,” sporting the group’s current lineup with
Johnny Marr on guitar, displays wide hooks, plentiful quirks and Isaac
Brock’s retrospective defiance. (“Well, no we’re not praying, we’re
kneeling.”) “Guilty Cocker Spaniels” finds the Good News-era
lineup charging through a peppery, vocally frantic song of building
aggression.
“Autumn Beds” is one of Modest Mouse’s finest pop moments. It’s a
hauntingly gorgeous tune that builds a menacing subtext of gallows
imagery around a lilting chorus (“We won’t be sleeping in our autumn
beds”), gauzy atmospherics, gently plucked banjo and a guitar funneled
through enough distortion to sound like an electric kazoo. “History
Sticks to Your Feet” bounces across swirling guitar loops with
increased intensity and punchy optimism. (“Don’t you look at me like
life don’t hold you any more mystery.”)
The EP occasionally falters. “The Whale Song” feels like a forced
return to the epic guitar workouts of the group’s earlier career. Its
chirpy, looping arpeggios sound aimless, while its slight lyrics seem
inconsequential; granted, its thrilling, thunderous conclusion works.
Meanwhile, “Perpetual Motion Machine” is a loose, brass-laden tune
whose improvisational approach doesn’t work.
Still, it all makes for a charming EP of damaged pop, electrified
folk and scrappy rock—or, another batch of Modest Mouse
tunes.
This article appears in Aug 20-26, 2009.
