16. the moon & antarctica

(2000)

and here we have it, modest mouse's last great album, sure their newest ep has the amazing king rat, and the whale song, but two songs that prove brock can still write with some rejects from their latest two albums isn't anything to be excited about.
i was caught up over which album to use, this or ugly casanova's sharpen your teeth, ultimately i went with this album, as it was my introduction to modest mouse, and is overall more epic.

also i went for the 2004 remix, i'm not entirely sure all what tweeks were made, but it is overall more pleasing to listen to than the original 2000 album, and the new artwork was definitely and upgrade.

i don't have too much to say about this album, modest mouse has been one of my favourite bands since i discovered them eight or nine years ago. teeth like god's shoeshine is one of the the best songs of all time songs for me, and isaac brock just writes clever lyrics and epics sounds. and while i haven't been too crazy about modest mouse's latest albums, they're not bad, just more mainstream friendly than i would like.

back in late '03 i waited outside of a bar in freezing weather with some of my other underage friends just to listen to modest mouse, well actually i did it for two nights

first night:
interstate 8
bury me
3rd planet
wild pack of family dogs
i came as a rat
black cadilac
the good times are killing me
trailer trash
doing the cockroach
never ending math equation
paper thin walls
one chance
float on
bankrupt on selling
cowboy dan
bukowski

second night:
paper thin walls
bury me
broke
interstate 8
the good times are killing me
black cadillac
doing the cockroach
3rd planet
one chance
wild pack of family dogs
i came as a rat
bukowski
trailer trash
bankrupt on selling
float on
out of gas

on the second night, i actually got to briefly meet isaac, he came out for a smoke break before the fake rock star encore as he put it, he was a bit of a druken asshole, not in a "what a jerk" sort of way, just in the way you'd expect him to be.
i was eighteen and met one of my favourite bands, it was awesome.

back to album at hand, from start to finish i believe it's their best album, definitely the strongest, i absolutely love this is a long drive... and the lonesome crowded west, but some of the songs on those albums eventually start to grate on me.

songs of isolation, loathing, faith, or lack there of. it's art.
life like weeds is a song that must be heard, as it sums up this album nicely.

our voices shook hands the other day