The perfect name for a late-20th century, slightly off-kilter indie-pop-alternative band from the Seattle area was right there in the writings of early-20th century author Virginia Woolf, in her short story "The Mark On The Wall": "I wish I could hit upon a pleasant track of thought, a track indirectly reflecting credit upon myself, for those are the pleasantest thoughts, and very frequent even in the minds of modest mouse-coloured people, who believe genuinely that they dislike to hear their own praises." Who knows how many people have read that passage, but only one band saw the beauty in two words — modest mouse — neatly tucked away, improbably juxtaposed for perhaps the one and only time ever.
Modest Mouse, since its formation in 1993, has been fronted by prolific songwriter/singer/guitarist Isaac Brock (whose occasionally maniacal delivery was described by Blender magazine as "one of rock's most arresting voices," veering as it does "from a gentle lisp to a canine array of yelps and barks"). They were already considered a leading indie band before they issued their 2004 breakthrough album, Good News For People Who Love Bad News, which scored two hits in "Float On" and "Ocean Breathes Salty," sold more than a million copies and gained enough mainstream attention to warrant a Grammy nomination.
For its 2007 follow-up, the #1-selling We Were Already Dead Before The Ship Even Sank, Modest Mouse added former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr to its lineup.
Provenance: Issaquah, Washington
Latest release: We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank (2007)
© 2007 Nigel Music Media LLC. Used by permission.
Modest Mouse
