Description

Combining the influences of new wave, post-punk, and lo-fi, Washington's Modest Mouse spent the second half of the 1990s becoming one of the most renowned indie-rock bands in America. Though often tagged an emo group, Modest Mouse transcends sub-genre categorization. Their moody arrangements, inventive lyrics, and distinctly modern variation on the power-trio format set them apart even as the band's sound proved influential to subsequent hordes of emo bands and indie rockers. They're one of the few indie groups to have successfully weathered the jump to a major label with both their sound and audience intact.

Biography

Drawing from influences such as Pavement, the Pixies, and Talking Heads, the Issaquah, Washington, USA-based art-punk unit Modest Mouse initially featured Isaac Brock (vocals/guitar), Dann Gallucci (guitar), Eric Judy (bass) and Jeremiah Green (drums). Formed in 1992, the band rehearsed and recorded demos for nearly two years, before signing with local indie label K Records and issuing several singles. Modest Mouse quickly set themselves apart from their indie rock peers by indulging at times with songs that stretched anywhere from five to ten minutes. Independent label, Up, signed the band next (with Gallucci having now departed), and issued inaugural full-length recordings such as 1996's This Is A Long Drive For Someone With Nothing To Think About and 1997's Lonesome Crowded West.
After returning to the K label for The Fruit That Ate Itself (the same year as their sophomore outing), Modest Mouse shocked the indie underground by signing on with the major label conglomerate Sony, who issued the trio's fourth release, The Moon & Antarctica, in 2000. The same year, a 12-track compilation album of early singles was released, and then a few months later K Records released the band's "lost" 1994 debut, Sad Sappy Sucker.
In 2002, Brock released an acclaimed album under the Ugly Casanova moniker. Benjamin Weikel replaced Green in the Modest Mouse line-up later in the year, but fans of this endearing band had to wait until 2004 for a new album. Former guitarist Dann Gallucci also returned to the line-up on the excellent Good News For People Who Love Bad News. Appealing to both the band's fans and the critics, the album broke into the upper regions of the Billboard 200.
DISCOGRAPHY: This Is A Long Drive For Someone With Nothing To Think About (Up 1996)****, Lonesome Crowded West (Up/Matador 1997)***, The Fruit That Ate Itself (K 1997)***, The Moon & Antarctica (Epic/Matador 2000)****, Sad Sappy Sucker 1994 recording (K 2001)***, Everywhere And His Nasty Parlour Tricks mini-album (Epic 2001)**, Good News For People Who Love Bad News (Epic 2004)****.
COMPILATIONS: Building Nothing Out Of Something (Up 2000)****.

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