Modest Mouse
The Lonesome Crowded West

THE REVIEW

Modest Mouse have been one of the major alternative rock bands, which have garnered niche approval thanks to their unmistakable style, inspired by the Pixies and R.E.M. in the '80s and by Pavement in the '90s, yet remain very original, based on a deep-rooted sadness and melancholy that always intertwines with felt and insolent anger; all sometimes framed in a wonderful almost folk/country atmosphere. The band, led by singer/guitarist Isaac Brock, was formed in '93 and after writing several EPs, managed to release their first melancholic and beautiful album "This is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About" (1996), which precedes by a year the aforementioned near-masterpiece "The Lonesome Crowded West", marking another milestone in the evolutionary process of American indie rock, which began with "Daydream Nation" by the Sonic Youth, and which continues to this day.

It is a vibrant, felt, visceral album that never tires throughout its length but strikes and moves. It is impossible to make divisions between verses and choruses in these tracks, as they are unpredictable and original pieces, with multiple changes of tone and rhythm: into this fits perfectly Brock's voice, a true strong point of the album, which recalls the fantastic Billy Corgan as it smoothly transitions from the softest melodies to the most challenging ones. Thus, you often move from fast-paced and hard tracks ("Convenient Parking"; "Shit Luck") to sweet, simple ballads ("Trailer Trash"; "Bankrupt on Selling") or even to mixed tracks ("Lounge"). In short, crazy pieces. The leading instrument is the bass, around which strange and distorted melodies but always moving, are intertwined with the guitar. Truly MOVING: despite the variety and complexity of the material, the final result is an emotional storm that cuts through you. It kicks off with the hard rock of the 7-minute "Teeth like God's Shoeshine", suddenly accelerating the pace, which is then immediately broken with the following ballad "Heart Cooks Brain": this will happen several times throughout the album. Experimental tracks like "Jesus Christ Was Only a Child" follow, and then the magnificent and explosive track #6 "Doin' the Cockroach" and the absolute masterpiece "Cowboy Dan": in this, after a melancholic start, pure anger and unrestrained hatred erupt like never before. Chills. Before the conclusion entrusted to the pure folk of "It's All Nice on Ice", it is worth noting the track "Trucker Atlas", a 10-minute track of intense emotional charge.

In conclusion, an album that everyone should own, being a '90s masterpiece in terms of complexity and emotion, comparable to pinnacles like "OK Computer" by the Radiohead or "Siamese Dream" by the Smashing Pumpkins.