For those who do, what would be a good album to pick up?
I have lonesome crowded west. It’s a pretty good cd. Problem with modest mouse is that they are two damn repititive. They play the same riff/vocals for an average of 6 minutes. Personally I’d say your better off picking up some old sebadoh or pavement. Indie rock at it’s best.
I wholeheartedly agree. Read a lot of good press on these guys, but I have to admit I find them just OK. “Bakesale” by Sebadoh is a great album, and I’d start with “Slanted And Enchanted” by Pavement - it’s pretty cheap nowadays.
Modest Mouse is pretty good. A lot of the hip little indie rockers seem to think that they’re they greatest thing since sliced Fugazi, but I don’t think so. The Lonesome Crowded West is a cool album. Also their newest album, The Moon and Antarctica is pretty decent.
I’d also recommend picking up Bakesale or Bubble and Scrape by Sebadoh. Both are kickass.
However, (and this is what got my indie rawk membership card revoked) I can’t stand Pavement. I don’t know what it is, I heard Slanted and Enchanted when it first came out, and didn’t like them then. I’ve heard several of their albums since then, and I just can’t get into it. I was once at a party in college and all the kiddies were talking about “Oh, I drove 7 hours to see Pavement–they’re fantastic…” And “I’d drive 10 hours to see them…you’re so lucky…” Well, I had more then a few drinks in me by that point, and I kind of lost it. “Pavement SUCKS!! What do you like about them??? You drove 7 hours to see them?!? I wouldn’t walk down the hall to see them if they were handing out free tacos and beer at the door!”.
Needless to say, I wasn’t invited back.
[sub]Whoa, that was a tangent, huh? I haven’t been awake very long, sorry.[/sub]
You know, I’m pretty much in agreement with you.
I had a bunch of friends who worked on the college station when S&E came out who went insane for the album, proclaiming it the best in 10 years, blah blah blah, and I didn’t get it. I generally prefer emotion to intellectualism in my music, and Pavement seemed (and still seem) to be willfully obscurantist and insular (“we’re too hip to bother with actually SAYING anything with our songs…”). However, if you’re going to buy an album of theirs, I’d still recommend S&E. It at least has a somewhat raw sound, and some nice screamed vocals on a few cuts.
W/ Modest Mouse, Newer is Better. Moon and Antarctica is a very good album, but it still doesn’t beat Lonesome Crowded West.
Then again, it’s one of my favorite albums, so I’m slightly biased.
jb
oh, and p.s.- Pavement ROCKS!!!
I almost bought a Modest Mouse album once, but I looked on the back and noticed that two or three of their songs didn’t have titles. With the possible exception of unlisted bonus tracks, not giving titles to songs is the most overly precious, irritatingly ultrahip thing you can do with an album, I think. How hard is it to title a song? So I declined the purchase.
I have “Slanted and Enchanted.” I love the first two tracks and pretty much nothing else.
I personally don’t see the attraction to Pavement - or Sebadoh for that matter either. I was brought up in more of a Jesus Lizard vein myself. However, back to the OP, I like Moon and Antarctica. Personally, my favorite album that rocks, but still has hooks is Emergency & I by Dismemberment Plan.
Then I guess you recognize my username? 
I’d have to say that Liar is probably my all time favorite album, and that JL was the best band over the past 10 years.
I got to see them 4 or 5 times also, first on the Goat tour and finally on the Shot tour. That band could put on a live show, dadgummit.