Modest Mouse - This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About

Up Records

Modest Mouse's beautifully titled debut studio album 'This Is A Long Drive for Someone With Nothing To Think About' was released on this day in 1996. The existential and somewhat desolate title is a window into the material that would follow on this record and in the years to come.

While it's not as accomplished as their follow up 'The Lonesome Crowded West', you can hear where they would take their sound and in some ways perfect it on subsequent releases. 'This Is A Long Drive..' packs a charm and youthful elegance. It's a strange thing as there's only a year in the difference between this and 'The Lonesome Crowded West' and yet the confidence and execution, or at least it sounds like it, sky rocketed. The road and life in general must have had a few lessons in the time in between. It's all here though just not as polished and refined.

Isaac Brock is a superb guitarist. Very of his own. Unique and most definitely a welcomed being into my world. His sardonic-like approach to melodies and jangly tunings has always intrigued me. It's as if he's playing and wants no one to listen. He can go from dumb-sounding to in tune, on the ball serious in a split second. Josh Homme is another guitarist that does this quite well. Ultimately Talking Heads in its jitteriness and general off-kiltered, out of tune way. Brock definitely has his influences but its hard to pick out anyone who plays like him, outside of the aforementioned Homme. Brock's voice could most definitely come off as annoying or off-putting but I'd personally come to the conclusion that it adds passion and an unrepeatable flair to everything.

Jeremiah Green and Eric Judy are up there with the finest rhythm sections around. All these guys are in their early 20's on this release. A mind-blowing feat. Its a bit of a mystery as to how records like this can be recorded in a relatively infantile stage of life. Some people were born to do and become certain things is pretty much the only way it can be explained. For a debut album of over 70+ minutes there isn't much filler to speak of, quite bewilderingly. Sure, there are some tracks that are less favorable, of course, but to think that 16 tracks in length and there being relatively little to throw away is mind-melting.

'Talking Shit about a Pretty Sunset' is up there with the best of them. It captures the iridescence of youths innocence like no other.

April 16th, 1996.