Modest Mouse | |
|---|---|
 Modest Mouse performing in August 2021 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Issaquah, Washington, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Works | Modest Mouse discography |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Labels | |
| Spinoffs | Ugly Casanova |
| Members |
|
| Past members | |
| Website | modestmouse |
Modest Mouse is an Americanrock band formed in 1993 inIssaquah, Washington, and currently based inPortland, Oregon. The founding members were lead singer/guitaristIsaac Brock, drummerJeremiah Green and bassistEric Judy. They achieved critical acclaim for their albumsThe Lonesome Crowded West (1997) andThe Moon & Antarctica (2000) and found mainstream success with the release ofGood News for People Who Love Bad News (2004) and its singles "Float On" and "Ocean Breathes Salty".
From their 1996 debut albumThis Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About onwards, the band's lineup mostly centered on Brock and Green, undergoing multiple changes. As of 2024, Brock is the only original member of the band, Green having died in December 2022. Judy performed on every Modest Mouse album until his departure in 2012. GuitaristJohnny Marr (formerly ofthe Smiths) joined the band in 2006, shortly followingpercussionistJoe Plummer (formerly ofthe Black Heart Procession) and multi-instrumentalistTom Peloso, to work on the albumWe Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank (2007). GuitaristJim Fairchild joined the band in 2009. The band's sixth album,Strangers to Ourselves, was released in 2015 and their seventh,The Golden Casket, in 2021.
When Isaac Brock was a teenager, he was employed at a local family video store just outside Seattle, where he met bassistEric Judy. Brock and Judy later discovered drummerJeremiah Green,[1] who also resided near Seattle, at a heavy metal show, at which point they decided to make music together. Brock says he made a point of the band being fromIssaquah to avoid association with the music scenes of Seattle or Olympia and to keep with the band's suburban lyrical themes. In 1994, atCalvin Johnson's Dub Narcotic Studios, Modest Mouse recorded its firstEP,Blue Cadet-3, Do You Connect?, which was released byK Records. This was followed by a single, "Broke", recorded by Steve Wold (a.k.a. bluesmanSeasick Steve) underSub Pop records at Moon Studios inOlympia, Washington. During this time, Modest Mouse also recorded what would have been its first album,Sad Sappy Sucker, but constant delays caused the album to be shelved and forgotten. It was not until 2001 that it was officially released. Before the band made its way into the pop music world in 2004, many of Modest Mouse's tours included stops at DIY/punk venues such asSpeak in Tongues in Cleveland, Ohio, where they continued to play even after becoming popular enough to fill larger venues.[2]
After moving toUp Records,[3] Modest Mouse released two full-length albums and other recordings including the 1996 LPThis Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About. Steve Wold also recorded and produced this album (and at the time was assisting in the recordings as well, but was not officially part of the band) along with the next offering,Interstate 8. The 1997 album,The Lonesome Crowded West (also recorded at Moon Studios, by Scott Swayze) served as the band's breakthrough.The Lonesome Crowded West gained the band acult following, and is now popularly considered to be one of the defining albums of mid-1990s indie rock.[4] During this time, Nick Kraft became involved with the task of refining the band's sound. Prior to its release, the band had recorded the EPThe Fruit That Ate Itself. In 2000, Up Records released a singles and rarities collection entitledBuilding Nothing Out of Something that included the entirety ofInterstate 8 except for the songs "Edit the Sad Parts" and "Buttons to Push the Buttons".
In 2000, Modest Mouse releasedThe Moon & Antarctica, its first album onEpic Records. The album, produced byCalifone's Brian Deck during five months of sessions in Chicago,[5] was met with critical acclaim,[6] including a 9.8/10 score from online music magazinePitchfork Media, despite concerns about releasing material on a major label.[7] The album would later receive further acclaim.[8]
The band licensed "Gravity Rides Everything" for aNissan Questminivan advertisement, a move that Brock has publicly acknowledged as blatantly commercial but necessary to achieve financial stability. Regarding the commercial, Brock stated, "People who don't have to make their living playing music can bitch about my principles while they spend their parents' money or wash dishes for some asshole."[9]
In 2001, Modest Mouse released the EPEverywhere and His Nasty Parlour Tricks, a collection of unused songs from the recording sessions ofThe Moon & Antarctica. In 2002, the band joinedCake,De La Soul,The Flaming Lips,The Hackensaw Boys andKinky on theUnlimited Sunshine Tour.[10]
In March 2003, Green left the band after suffering anervous breakdown;[11] official reports stated he was leaving to work with his side project,Vells. The same year, he and Judy appeared onAdam Forkner's first solo album,VVRSSNN. DrummerBenjamin Weikel joined the band, replacing Green, along withMurder City Devils guitaristDann Gallucci, who had previously played with Modest Mouse. Prior to starting the band's writing and recording process, Brock was devastated by the loss of "a couple of the most important people in my life", he said.[12] Following these events, the band released their fourth album,Good News for People Who Love Bad News, on April 6, 2004. The following August, the album wascertified Platinum,[1] having two hits with "Float On" and "Ocean Breathes Salty" (both of which they performed onSaturday Night Live on November 13, 2004).[13] The album was nominated for aGrammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album that year, and "Float On" was nominated forBest Rock Song. Green rejoined the band in May 2004,[11] while Weikel returned to drumming exclusively for the Helio Sequence. The public radio programMarketplace used "Float On" as bumper music, which helped propel the group to a broader audience.[citation needed]
In 2006,Johnny Marr (formerly ofthe Smiths) joined the band after Gallucci quit amicably. Modest Mouse released their next album,We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, on March 20, 2007[14] after its original release date of December 19, 2006 was delayed. The album also included bonus track and single "King Rat", which actorHeath Ledger had known about before the track was released; the band was formally introduced to the actor while on their 2007 tour in Australia. Ledger proposed an outline for a music video to the group, and with his film collective,the Masses, immediately began working on it once he had the band's approval.[15] Upon Ledger's death in January 2008, the video went unfinished.[16]
We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank was the first Modest Mouse album to reach No. 1 on the USBillboard 200 charts and had the hit single "Dashboard", as well as "Missed the Boat" and "We've Got Everything". Modest Mouse released singles for the songs "Satellite Skin", "Autumn Beds" and "Perpetual Motion Machine" in limited edition—a total of 4,000 copies each—vinyl 7 inches, featuring artwork by art director and illustrator Joshua Marc Levy, J. Alex Stamos, andNatasha Wheat.
The band began a North American tour in June 2008. They returned to Florida, with three shows in Miami, Orlando and St. Augustine, for the first time since they were cut off stage early during the November 2006 Bang Music Festival show.[17] Modest Mouse finished its tour supportingWe Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank after two years of promoting the record.
Marr left Modest Mouse to jointhe Cribs, and was replaced with Jim Fairchild, beginning with the tour ofNo One's First and You're Next, which was released on August 4, 2009,[18] composed of unreleased tracks from the recording sessions ofGood News for People Who Love Bad News andWe Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank.[19]
In 2010,The Moon & Antarctica was re-released on vinyl as part ofRecord Store Day.[20]
On July 4, 2010 the band headlined the second day of the80/35 Music Festival in Des Moines, Iowa,[21] and the first day of theEnd of the Road Festival in Dorset, England, on September 10, 2010.[22] At the end of August 2010, Modest Mouse played on the main stage at the Leeds and Reading festivals.
On May 29, Modest Mouse played two new songs during their headline of the Sasquatch festival. The songs were called "Poison the Well" and "Lampshades on Fire".[23]They then contributed a cover of theBuddy Holly song "That'll Be the Day" to the compilationRave On Buddy Holly, which was released on June 28, 2011. Modest Mouse played atSplendour in the Grass inWoodford, Queensland on July 29, 2011,[24] and atThe Warfield inSan Francisco on January 25, 2012.
In 2012, Modest Mouse underwent a significant lineup change, which included the departure of founding bassist Eric Judy and percussionist Joe Plummer, replaced by Russell Higbee (formerly ofMan Man) and Davey Brozowski, respectively. The lineup also included the additions of multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Lisa Molinaro, and percussionist Ben Massarella, the latter of whom previously played percussion onThe Moon & Antarctica.
In June of that same year,Pitchfork.tv released a 45-minute documentary onThe Lonesome Crowded West, which included archival footage taken during live performances and original recording/mix sessions.[25]
Modest Mouse played a Saturday afternoon set at the inauguralFirefly Music Festival in July 2012. Modest Mouse was one of the main acts in the Good Vibes Festival held in Sepang, Malaysia on August 17, 2013. The lineup featured other internationally renowned bands such asSmashing Pumpkins,Ash, andJapandroids.[26] In April 2013, Modest Mouse performed atCoachella Music Festival inIndio, California. They also performed at the 2014Hangout Music Festival inGulf Shores, Alabama, in May 2014. They later performed as a headliner at Shaky Knees music festival in Atlanta, Georgia on May 10, 2014, and also headlined Sunday May 25 at Boston Calling in Massachusetts. Modest Mouse then performed at Hudson Valley Music Project in Saugerties, NY in July, 2014. The band's final performance of 2014 took place in Inglewood, California during the annualKROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas.
In the fall of 2014 Modest Mouse re-released their first two albums,This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About andThe Lonesome Crowded West, on CD and vinyl through Isaac Brock's Glacial Pace record label.
Eight years after the release ofWe Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, Modest Mouse releasedStrangers to Ourselves on March 17, 2015. On December 15, 2014, they released the lead single "Lampshades on Fire" which debuted on Twin Cities public radio station89.3 The Current. On December 16, 2014, Modest Mouse madeStrangers to Ourselves available for pre-order for CD and LP formats on theGlacial Pace website and on the iTunes store.
In 2015, Brock described the follow-up album toStrangers to Ourselves as being like a part two to the latter album that they would try to release as soon as legally possible.[27] The follow-up album has also been said to feature at least one song withNirvana bassistKrist Novoselic.[28]
Throughout 2019, the band released three standalone singles; "Poison the Well" on March 29, "I'm Still Here" on April 18, and "Ice Cream Party" on November 15.
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Modest Mouse released their seventh studio album,The Golden Casket, on June 25, 2021.[29] The album's first single, "We Are Between", was released on May 5,[29] followed by its second single, “Leave a Light On”, released on May 24. Writing for theWall Street Journal, music critic Mark Richardson gave a mixed review of the album.[30] Richardson described the tracks on the first half of the album as "sound[ing] like busy arrangements in search of a song", and noted that "Mr. Brock's ear for hooks just barely rescues the tracks from the seriously overstuffed production."[30] Richardson noted that the back half of the album contained the biggest highlights, which he described as "quite good". Richardson was particularly fond of the album's stripped-down finale, "Back to the Middle", which he noted "hints at what should be [the band's] next change-up: Keep it simple. If the songs are strong and the performances are there, guitar, bass and drums will be more than enough.[30]
In an interview in 2022, celebrating 15 years ofWe Were Dead before The Ship Even Sank, Isaac Brock and Johnny Marr revealed that they were writing songs together again, the first of which is called "Rivers of Rivers". The writing took place in a "pen pal" kind of way, with Brock saying that there were more songs to be developed in 2022 together "once the world tilts back on its axis".[31]
In July 2022 the band was mixing a nine-song companion EP toThe Golden Casket, with Marr confirmed to appear on one of the tracks.[32]
In the midst of a tour celebrating the 25th anniversary ofThe Lonesome Crowded West, drummer and founding memberJeremiah Green took an unannounced leave of absence. Days after his Stage IV cancer diagnosis was revealed to the public, Green died on December 31, 2022.[33][34]
In mid-2023, they opened several shows for Weezer during theirIndie Rock Road Trip tour.[35] The band co-headlined a North American tour with thePixies in the Summer of 2024.[36]
In April 2024, Brock announced that he was planning on reuniting the band's 2004 line-up which recordedGood News for People Who Love Bad News for a tour in celebration of the record.
The band co-headlined with The Flaming Lips for an "It's Summertime" tour in August and September of 2025.
Modest Mouse's music has been described asindie rock,alternative rock,post punk revival,punk rock,synthpop andemo. Marcy Donelson ofAllMusic called Modest Mouse's sound "a volatile mix ofpunk-inspired rawness and simmering atmosphere" showing tendencies of "light-heartedpop". The band's early releases were said to be a mix ofemo,post-rock,folk andprogressive music.[37] The early releases were also noted for their abrasiveness and sense of experimentation. Jim Alexander ofNME wrote in a contemporary review ofThe Lonesome Crowded West: "Modest Mouse are the sound of thePacific Northwest - this is music as rugged as the area it comes from." The band's later output contained pop sensibilities.[38]
FrontmanIsaac Brock's lyrical themes tend to explore topics such as small town life andreligion.[37] In 2016, a study conducted by music data companyMusixmatch surveyed 43,414 songs spanning multiple genres found that Modest Mouse was one of the most profane bands among the subjects categorized as "indie rock," second only toThe Neighborhood. It was estimated that the band used profanity every 310 words, and that the top three swear words uttered by the band were "shit," "fuck" and "ass," respectively.[39]
Main instruments listed only
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) | Isaac Brock | 1993–present |
| all releases |
_(cropped).jpg) | Tom Peloso | 2003–present(not touring 2022-present) |
| all releases fromGood News for People Who Love Bad News (2004) |
| Russell Higbee | 2012–present(touring 2010–2012) |
| all releases fromStrangers to Ourselves (2015) | |
 | Ben Massarella | 2014–present |
|
|
.jpg) | Simon O'Connor | 2021–present |
| none to date |
| Damon Cox | 2023–2024, 2025-present |
|
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) | Jeremiah Green |
|
| all releases to date, exceptGood News for People Who Love Bad News (2004) |
 | Eric Judy |
|
| all releases fromBlue Cadet-3, Do You Connect? (1994) toNo One's First, and You're Next (2009) |
.jpg) | Dann Gallucci |
|
|
|
| John Wickhart | 1994–1995 | bass guitar | none | |
 | Benjamin Weikel |
|
| Good News for People Who Love Bad News (2004) |
.jpg) | Joe Plummer | 2004–2012 |
|
|
.jpg) | Jim Fairchild |
|
|
|
.jpg) | Johnny Marr | 2006–2008 |
| |
 | Lisa Molinaro | 2011–2021 |
|
|
 | Davey Brozowski | 2012–2014 |
| Strangers to Ourselves (2015) |
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyler Reilly | 1997–2000 | violin |
| |
| Robin Peringer | 2000–2002 |
| none | |
| Brandon Angle | 2007 |
| ||
| Andy MacLeod | ||||
| Russell Higbee | 2010–2012 | horns | ||
| Dave Collis | 2013 | lead guitar | ||
| Darrin Wiener | 2012–2016 |
| Strangers to Ourselves (2015) | |
.jpg) | Keith Karman | 2022–present |
| none to date |
Studio albums
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
