Modest Mouse - The Lonesome Crowded West

Up / Glacial Pace

November 18th, 1997.

Modest Mouse's second studio album 'The Lonesome Crowded West' chartered new ground for the Indie Rock sphere. The up-and-coming band of the day cemented their status as leaders of the new school with a 70+ minute epic. Rooted around themes of alienation and existential anguish, The Lonesome Crowded West offers up a potentially depressive, yet ever-rewarding, experience.

Journey through the long and winding roads of north west America. Take the backseat on the path of never-ending desolation and revel in its arbitrarily unforgiving nature. Things that were once buried away creep back into view. Demanding your attention - pulling you away from the present moment - these thoughts cloud judgement and everything tied to it. Creating the illusion of fear and deeply rooted anxiety, they clog up your mental drains. The same thoughts on cycle. Repeat repeat repeat. Letting go is a deed done by those at peace, however arriving at this station requires - may require - a long and winding road in and of itself. Roads within roads. Destinations within destinations. As is life. Do we suffer for the sake of suffering, or is it just how things are - an integral part in the belly of the beast. An unavoidable human feature that keeps our spirit on its toes. Dwelling on the past inevitable leads to a foggy future. Learning to live with it is the only way forward. Use it, or be used by it.

Modest Mouse - especially Isaac Brock's lyrics - tapped into the space between. Not quite lonely, but not far from falling off the face of the earth while remaining firmly on it - disappearing into oneself in plain sight. Oblivion awaits those who give in to its pull. You'd be surprised where and when you encounter this feeling for yourself - no one is out of its tenacious, unforgiving reach.

The Lonesome Crowded West catches a trio of talented musicians still in the throes of their teenage years, producing material fit for a band of decades experience.