The music
Modest Mouse
makes has always been informed by the climate and geography that make the Northwest an eerie, lovely place. Oceans, mountains, and mercilessly unbroken periods of rain manifest in music, at times heartbreaking (
"Edit the Sad Parts"
), at others, the musical equivalent of a post office shooting spree (
"Tundra/Desert"
). With only a year of state-approved drinking under his belt at the time of
Interstate 8
's release,
singer/songwriter
Isaac Brock
evidently has seen a thing or two. Lyrics like "Every planned occupation/sure-fire disappointment up ahead/till they treat you like desert/see mirages of friendship/face turns red" from
is a worldview that doesn't typically sink in till the late twenties/early thirties.
Brock
's signature guitar style is matched by
Jeremiah Green
's distinctive drumming which occasionally reaches the bpm ratio of a
drum'n'bass
track. Bassist
Eric Judy
locks into bassline equivalents of how you might feel as you stood on your porch smoking a cigarette during that 35th consecutive day of rain. With over 70 minutes of music to delve into, this "EP" proves that
's musical cup truly runneth over. ~ Sean Hurley