Good News For People Who Love Bad News - Modest Mouse

...yes, I consider it a good purchase.

I gather that this is Modest Mouse's first release on such a large label, (Epic, part of Sony Music) as previous releases were done via Matador Records.

This is a fairly lengthy album that both gains from being so eclectic while simultaneously suffering from the same problem. "Good News For People Who Love Bad News" was produced by Dennis Herring, who was not previously familiar ...
...track on the album, "The Good Times Are Killing Me"

That song title reveals much about the lyrical content of the album. It is clear that frontman Isaac Brock is prone to pessimism, but is trying, through the songs, to look on the bright side for a change, because maybe that things really aren't so bad.

The album begins with a horn intro, done not by Modest Mouse, but by The Dirty Dozen Brass Band. Why exactly ... more

I'll be honest in that I have never heard a Modest Mouse album before this one, so for those who have never listened to them before, I suppose the simplest thing I should begin with is that yes, I took a leap of faith purchasing this album and yes, I consider it a good purchase.

I gather that this is Modest Mouse's first release on such a large label, (Epic, part of Sony Music) as previous releases were done via Matador Records.

This is a fairly lengthy album that both gains from being so eclectic while simultaneously suffering from the same problem. "Good News For People Who Love Bad News" was produced by Dennis Herring, who was not previously familiar to me, but will be best known to others by working on material by Counting Crows. Other artists help out in places too, most notably The Flaming Lips who have even mixed the final track on the album, "The Good Times Are Killing Me"

That song title reveals much about the lyrical content of the album. It is clear that frontman Isaac Brock is prone to pessimism, but is trying, through the songs, to look on the bright side for a change, because maybe that things really aren't so bad.

The album begins with a horn intro, done not by Modest Mouse, but by The Dirty Dozen Brass Band. Why exactly it appears at all is a mystery, and clocking in at 0:09 seconds there seems little point to it.

True opener "The World At Large" is obvious in that it touches on the compulsion to never lay roots, but in a similar way to the band Pedro the Lion, catchy melodys and a mellow singing voice mask dark lyrics, Brock hauntingly asking "why does it always feel like I'm caught in an undertow?"

First single "Float On" should already be known as Modest Mouse's first true trip into the mainstream, thanks in part to the super catchy, jangly hook that is interspersed between the lyrics. Again, the song is happy in both voice and melody, but the lyrics again betray darker feelings, although this time it is far more subtle, in the refrain "and we'll all float on OK, and we'll all float on OK, and we'll all float on anyway" (even if this can be taken in two ways).

Next song "Ocean Breathes Salty" is familiar territory, and I'm beginning to sound like a broken record here, but again, an ubeat track disguises lyrics that are preoccupied with death.

Things begin to change on track six, "Bury Me With It", but first we are subjected to "Dig Your Grave", in which Brock simply murmurs, threateningly "I hope you're dead", and seems to be another pointless interlude, or possibly a prelude to the shouty vocals of track six, which almost verge on a punky bark. Even though this may be an acquired taste, for me, "Bury Me With It" is a definite high point of the album, and the first openly negative track, which contains the albums title in the lyrics, among some excellent other ones, such as "life handed us a paycheck, we said, we worked harder than this!" The bass is particularly prominent on this track, and adds alot to the song.

Next up is "Dance Hall", a truly bizarre track which I am split on. The barky vocals remain here, but the majority of the track is just the lyrics "I'm gonna dance hall dance hall every day". Not a favorite.

"Bukowski" is obviously about writer Charles Bukowski who was made famous for his books on the lower classes of America. Lyrical content here is expressed in short bursts, backed up by more jangly guitars. Accordians also make an entrance on this track.

The beginning of "The Devil's Workday" is almost identical to the Horn Intro at the start of the album. This is the first truly poor track, ending with Brock shouting "I am my own damn God HA HA HA HA HA".

The weakest section of the album starts here. High pitched jangly guitars again return on "The View", which could easily be a second single. Isaac's voice is extremelyprominent throughout certain parts, but this venture is simpler than many entries on this album and it certainly isn't one of the better ones. Follow up "Satin in a Coffin" is worse, and apart from a short Bajo intro and solo's throughout is again unremarkable, and to compound this the singing begins to verge on the annoying. Another Interlude follows after these two tracks, which is mainly an Organ played over some baby gurgles (really). It smacks of a band trying to add some variation to their album (even though its holds more variation than many other albums in my collection).

The closing section of the album begins with "Blame It on the Tetons", a slow burning song, with layered fiddles and piano's, and lyrics that reveal more of the Modest Mouse philosophy, "everyones a building burning, with no one to put the fire out". This is another high point of the album, and the longest song, clocking in at 5:24. Its perfect music for a night drive.

"Black Cadilacs" starts peacefully, only to quickly launch into an angry, sweary chorus complete with a thumping beat, before comming down again and continuing to bounce along with a piano, before launching off again.

The last two tracks are more peaceful, the song progression on this album being mostly excellent. "One Chance" seems to deal with similar feelings and choices brought up in "The World Outside" and is another strong reason to purchase this album. Yet again the jangly guitars return, although remain in the background throughout.

"The Good Times Are Killing Me" is an excellent track that more or less sums up the entire message conveyed throughout the album. Additional instruments are played here by The Flaming Lips. Another prominent Bassline and a very effective tin whistle are active throughout much of this. This song may very well represent the failing of looking on the bright side, again being a positive track with dark lyrics, although now they appear to be infused with a deep sense of irony, which the one of the band members seems to take amusement in before the track begins.

Inside the case itself are bizarre images of baloons attempting to lift anchors upwards, which fits with my overall impression of what this album is about.

Overall, I came into this not knowing what to expect, but this is actually my best purchase of the year so far. The sheer range of instruments used (guitar, drums, bass, banjo, piano, acordian, brass band, baby gurgles, melotron, glockenspiels) means no one is going to like every track, but for a band that can only be loosely categorised as "pop", this is a varied and intelligent release. 

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