Modest Mouse
The Lonesome Crowded West

THE REVIEW

The Modest Mouse, active since 1993, have gifted us with some of the most significant pages of indie rock at the turn of the millennium, partially reviving the fortunes of a genre that was at least somewhat overexposed. The band, led by singer and guitarist Isaac Brock, initially offered an angry, explosive music, often alternated with strongly melancholic moments; the Seattle group, although in essence not betraying its genetic imprint, over the years will lean more and more towards music that is more elaborate, polished, relinquishing some of the fury of the beginnings in exchange for more listenable and appealing sounds.

"The Lonesome Crowded West," 1997, the last album released for the independent Up before moving to a major label, is, formally, the second full-length by the Mice, (in reality, the true debut was still awaiting release at the time), and it is, in my opinion, the best album of Our entire production, although, it seems only fair to say, the most acclaimed by critics and the public remains the subsequent "The Moon And Antarctica".

The album, conceived as a concept on the decline of the old west, presents itself, even upon a superficial listening, as a titanic work, with its nearly 74 minutes of music divided into fifteen tracks; a work, therefore, that due to its length is not easy for the listener to digest, despite the music being thoroughly enjoyable and immediate. The strengths of the album, in fact, are a skillful blend of incendiary moments and moments that, though more reflective, always maintain that palpable artistic tension throughout the flow of the songs, often marked by dizzying changes in rhythm; in short, it's hard to get bored.

Brock continues to sing of society's outcasts with genuine passion and a unique voice, in both tender spoken moments and the more shouted ones; figures as bizarre as they are ambiguous and questionable; fascinating characters and as true as only fiction can be. The leader, a Northwest native, is highly inspired and once again confirms his taste for melody and an innate talent for arrangements. These latter are always rich and imaginative, despite the use of instrumentation quite faithfully respecting the canons of rock music. Everything is recorded authentically, without worrying too much about formal perfection, as in the best tradition of the genre.

But the true miracle of TLCW is that it keeps the listener glued to the speakers, feverish, for more than an hour of music. It's hard to find in rock history a concept album with so few weak points, despite a strong cohesion as a whole. There are numerous tracks that will become the group's "classics," even if Brock and company masterfully dodge the danger of a cloying effect, almost of saturation, that may occur when listening to a greatest hits. This is an album with a strong personality that, of course, may not appeal to everyone, but certainly leaves no one indifferent. 

In conclusion, "The Lonesome Crowded West," semi-unknown in the Belpaese, acclaimed abroad, is among the best rock albums of the '90s and surely a recommended listen for all genre enthusiasts, although the excessive prolixity of the tracks might annoy some.

Initially thought of as a double CD, this choice was opposed by Up Records, fearing unfortunate repercussions on sales. Yet another occasion where record labels prove they know how to count but understand little about art.

The lucky owners of the double LP, in which the unreleased track "Baby Blue Sedan" can also be found, not included in the compact version, can console themselves.