[Oggranak]

Modest Mouse's sound changed considerably with the album Good News for People Who Love Bad News, and for many fans this was a bad move, while it simultaneously boosted the band's appeal. What do you think?

Personally, I love Good News and I'm trying to get into their newest album. Their older music I find harder to enjoy, but it sounds undeniably more profound and unique. If I listen to songs from The Lonesome Crowded West and then listen to either of their two most recent albums, I can't help but feel like the depth and emotion has been replaced with 'catchy tunes'.

 

[jonathanjong]

I find the newer stuff more enjoyable, but I think the older stuff is cleverer. And the hedonist in me favours enjoyment.

 

[whaleyboy]

So far I have liked everything that I have heard from Modest Mouse. There are differences between the albums, to be sure, but they are all interesting (to me) in different ways.

 

[elbuzzard]

They have definitely matured since those first UP releases. I would hope so since they were teenagers at that time. I have heard all of their albums but dont own any since the first SONY release. I suppose thats my own shift in music preference. They are still Modest Mouse, even with the addition of Marr. Im sure I will revisit them at some point.

 

[Danny Q]

I agree with what everyone else has said. They have definitely progressed and matured but it's still Modest Mouse. I don't listen to the old stuff much anymore.

 

[Oggranak]

To be honest, I don't think they've matured at all. Does the new stuff sound more refined and polished? Sure. But I think it's lost a lot of the creativity and lyrical brilliance of the previous albums.

That's not to say I don't like it, becaue I do, but I do think it has lost some of its depth.

Also, it's a shame that the newest album is a bit too loud. Good News, on my system anyway, sounded pretty darn good, but this new one has definitely lost some dynamics to the loudness wars.

 

[terriblepaulz]

I like it all. I think the progress or evolution (or simply stylistic changes, to avoid normative statements) of the songwriting has kept me interested.

 

[AtomikPi]

For me Lonesome Crowded West is their greatest, and an album with lyrical and musical excellence. That said, I first listened to them after hearing "Float On" so there is something to be said for their more recent works and I will admit I still like Good News for People Who Like Bad News (after Lonesome Crowded West and The Moon and Antarctica).
I don't know if they really "matured" - I prefer the lyrics of their older music.

 

[priest]

I enjoy Lonesome Crowded West so much it is probably in my top five indie albums of all time. Right up there with Slanted and Enchanted, Archers of Loaf Vs. the Greatest of All Time, Electr-O-Pura, and Meadowlands. The records they did after that I think are okay, as is their first.

 

[DLeeWebb]

Quote:

Originally Posted by whaleyboy /img/forum/go_quote.gif So far I have liked everything that I have heard from Modest Mouse. There are differences between the albums, to be sure, but they are all interesting (to me) in different ways.

Exactly, I own and like everything that they have done including the tracks that I have heard from their upcoming EP, "No One's First & You're Next." They have changed, but that's a good thing for me. I would get bored if they didn't evolve. The distinctive core elements of their music have remained consistent. Though on any given day I might identify one of their albums or the other as my "favorite," I have been obsessed for some time now with both "Moon & Antarctica," and "We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank." I saw them live last year and was a bit disappointed. I hope that they continue to evolve and produce their always interesting music for a long time to come.

 

[Bmac]

For me, the early albums sounded unpolished and at times Isaac Brock's choice of tone made him sound not quite as good as he could have, but you can still tell its Modest Mouse and it's very creative.

I think the Moon & Antarctica started to bridge the gap from their younger sound to their newer sound. It sounded more polished and produced, but still indie. It might be my favourite as well.

The last two were very polished, but I don't think they've lost the creativity that made them so good in the first place, especially to the degree that most bands do after 3 or 4 releaases. Good News I though t was a little weak, but We Were Dead was IMO a return to form.

 

[salannelson]

I really only like Good News

 

[Philimon]

I only own Lonesome, Moon & Antarctica, Good News, and We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank. I also prefer them in that order.