Review Summary: We'll all float on... Alright?
Indie/Alternative Rock has been a big "I don't know in which genre this band fits in so I'll put them in a generic one" since the end of the 90's. How Radiohead and Weezer, or Interpol and Modest Mouse are on the same genre is beyond my knowledge. Well, the rules for the definition of Indie Rock changed through the years, from a term to define the lo-fi power/jangle pop sound of bands like Pavement, Guided By Voices and Sebadoh which sounded like they recorded the songs on their basement(Oh, and for ***'s sake, don't tell me that 80's new wave or 90's britpop are indie too) to a post-punk/garage rock revival that came on the 2000's with bands like The Strokes, The White Stripes and Bloc Party. While the former had a cult following and critical acclaim, the genre never had too much mainstream exposure, aside from a few radio hits, and it's probably on purpose because of the "it's cool to be underground" bravado that is a constant mantra to describe the mannerisms of the indie hipsters even to this day.
But, well, indie became very mainstream on the next decade, so the hipster paradox begun. The indie community were so afraid of trends that created one of their own. Starbucks coffee, cool glasses, English worship and t-shirts from unknown bands from the 80's now may sound like a bad joke, but between the ridiculous bandwagons of nu metal and mallcore "emo", it looked like a pretty interesting way to escape the other trends. But, in the end, aren't we all a bunch of hipsters?
So, Modest Mouse was one of the driving forces of Indie's first wave, abusing of atmospheric jams and Pixies-esque energy outbursts composed of crying whammy guitars, dreamy bass and esoteric, unpredictable vocals that made them a one-of-a-kind band. So, seeing the dawn of the genre's next wave being successful must have somewhat affected them, and so they flirted with that transition on The Moon and Antarctica with songs like Tiny Cities Made of Ashes, but even if they had a danceable feel that's typical of the second wave, it still contained the unusual, eerie signature sound that made the band so unique and innovative. And then... Good News for People Who Love Bad News happened.
Even if Modest Mouse had a song in a Nissan commercial or something before, nothing exposed them so much like Float On, and it's a symptom of their new sound's accessibility. The catchy riff, clean production, easy hook and, mainly, the optimism of the track (even if it's sarcastic) opened the door for the great public's consumption. And the point is, Modest Mouse went from being a first wave indie band to become a second wave one. But even if there's a sellout sign in their face, the strange thing about Good News for People Who Love Bad News is that even if the singles were accessible, the album is, indeed, a strange monster.
Because, 3 tracks in and even if it really looks like Modest Mouse went pop rock(with songs sharing similar elements with Float On), then we have bizarre guitars and awkward vocals in songs like Bury Me With It, Dance Hall and This Devil's Workday that break the initial chain. But even if the hooks are there, they're pretty inaccessible for the mainstream public. And they're different even for Modest Mouse in general, because this experimental country flavor was always there in the band's sound, but now it takes the front. And that mood instability through the album hurts its cohesion, even if almost every mood is well done, from the Coldplay-ish The World At Large to exquisite songs like Bury Me With It and 2000's indie dancer The View. But even if they sound like a compilation of tracks instead of an album per se, every song has some surprise or something interesting, making the album experience a more intriguing one.
And overall it feels like a.. hum... Modest album(no pun intended) in the sense that it's careless and fun, something that the band rarely sounded before, feeling less pretentious or intricate than their previous records, almost on the edge of being comical. If you can't nod your head to Dance Hall, there's something wrong with you. The lack of early Modest Mouse's spacey eerieness or punk energy may annoy old fans in general, but lowering that kind of expectation, it is a damn fun album to drink a beer to.
Standout tracks:
Float On
The View
Bukowski
Ocean Breathes Salty
