Customer Reviews

No One's First, And You're Next EP [Explicit]

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'm not sure I could tell you precisely why, but I just don't particularly like it. It sounds like Isaac Brock + some other guys, not like Modest Mouse. Part of the difference between those two may just be the mix, with the vocals too high and a lot of the interesting stuff going on instrumentally buried a bit, but I don't think that's it. "The Whale Song" is a good example; nice fun instrumental stuff for the first 3 minutes, but the minute Isaac pops in everyone else stops doing anything particularly interesting. It's like they've decided engaging instrumental music and Isaac's vocals can't coexist at the same time, so whenever Isaac's around they become competent but somewhat bland accompanists. Since Isaac's present for most of the album, this doesn't work out too well. The result isn't really -bad-, but not something I particularly want to listen to.

If you like Modest Mouse for Isaac Brock alone, you'll probably like this. If you take a more holistic view and see Isaac as an accomplished vocalist who only truly shines when his vocals are enmeshed in great instrumental music, you probably won't. The same goes for "We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank", and I'm in the second camp, obviously.

With No One's First, And You're Next, Modest has given it's fans something to tide us over until a new album is released. A lot of reviews I've been reading online have not been to kind to this release. It's as if they don't get that this a b-sides collection, and are treating it like a full fledged album. Something that surprises me about these so called "music critics", is that none of them have mentioned the track I Have It All(most). It has already been released twice before. Once on the Float On single and the other as a bonus track on the dual disc version of Good News. While it's a great track, it is my only complaint about the album. The rest of the album is great, I agree with the previous reviewer on that you can tell which tracks came from which sessions. And suprisingly some of the tracks do have that older Modest feel to them. My advice if you love Modest as much as I do, pick up this album. I'm sure you will love it.

I'm a casual Modest Mouse fan, and randomly saw this in Barnes & Noble so I gave it a listen. Just after hearing the first few songs, I knew I had to have it, especially with the killer price of $10. My favorite song would have to be Guilty Cocker Spaniels, it's so catchy! I think any Modest Mouse fan would enjoy the songs on here.

This band is amazing, but I didn't enjoy this album. I think they are trying to get away from the Pop/ Mainstream sound, but I like their more melodic music.

For those of you that didn't know (and there's a lot), this is an EP not an album. It contains some songs that weren't released but had been recorded ranging back a few years. Some of these songs are absolutely incredible and amongst the groups best, such as King Rat, Satellite Skin, Whale Song, Perpetual Motion. There are a couple tracks that sound alot like the less impressive patches within their past 2 albums, but it's still not bad by any means. Pick up this EP, you shouldn't regret it.

Modest Mouse, a nearly two-decade old indie rock band highly criticized for their atheist lyrical themes, released their fifth album, No One's First and You're Next, on August 4, 2009. While the band shifts their usual hard rock style to a more ambient, chill tune, the band delivers exactly what their fans expect of them: a thought-provoking compilation of songs approaching mysterious life topics, from relationships to death.

Though initially biased in my innate love for the band and what they represent, I approached new Modest Mouse with an objective first listen, for I had not been in favor of the album's single, "Autumn Beds," which was previously released. "Autumn Beds" left me bored after a few listens, mostly because of the lack of lyrics and the song's hierarchy of need for the overpowering musicality. The rest of the album, however, was much more striking in terms of interest.

The album's title is the first thing that led me to think it was worthy of giving a listen. Though most bands' fans would love to listen to their favorites' new albums, No One's First and You're Next meant something deeper to me. Unaware of the band's intentions in this title, I believe it is used to represent all things in life that we initially fear, but we know we must do. Tasks without examples, without someone else going first and leading an example, are usually the most difficult, but also the most worthwhile and rewarding.

My favorite part of Modest Mouse's music, as with many bands, is the lyrics. This album is no exception. The band's singer and lyricist, Isaac Brock, leads an interesting interrogative imagery in songs such as "Guilty Cocker Spaniels" and "Satellite Skin." "Do you even believe that there's a race to be won?" seems to nail the inner sense of competition that everyone strives to overcome but still embraces in their lives.

The album also exhibits reoccurring themes of Modest Mouse music, such as life being a game; "Wait, what? You're winning? You didn't say this was a game" is a key line in "Guilty Cocker Spaniels."

The song "I've Got It All (Most)" struck an emotional tendon when I first listened to it. Having gone through an emotionally challenging breakup, the song comforted my weak spots of knowing that life isn't about having it all figured out. As Brock sang, "I've got it all most/I've got it all almost figured out/But always when I get there/Always when I get there all the pieces they just fall apart," I realized the importance of finding myself again, finding the fun in discovering who I am.

In terms of instrumental music in No One's First and You're Next, I enjoyed numerous guitar riffs and the use of the drums in the rhythmic pattern of the album. My favorite music song in the album was "The Whale Song."

Altogether, I would strongly recommend this album to Modest Mouse fans of the past. Though there are a few slight changes in the way the music is presented, it's still wonderful quality for the band, and shows quite a bit of progression from their guitarist change in 2007.

And, naturally, the band has obviously recognized this change, best seen in the lyrics "I'm going to knock that look off your face like life don't hold you no more mystery."

for a small record you normally dont expect much, but there's a solid 6 tracks on this EP and i expect you'll find one that you can say "wow, this is my favorite MM song."

awesome EP. just some great steel toe boot stomping rock and roll. awesome.

overall this CD is good modest mouse material, not great or mind blowing by any means. tracks 2,4,7, and 8 are good tunes and rest of the tracks are just average, nothing like good news, moon and antartica, or even lonesome crowed west. Mouse is my favorite band of all time but i'm beginning to worry that they might never top there Award winning Good News For People Who Love Bad News album. Brocks lyrics are still genious and the music is still powerful but it's still missing something. Hopefully there next LP will be a masterpiece

Modest Mouse always seems to amaze me with every cd they put out. I can't stop listening to it. My only complaint with the cd is that it only contains 8 songs but they are all great!

Well, I, for one, was surprised to see this E.P. released. As a Modest Mouse fan, I picked up a copy the day it was released and I've listened to it a few times through now. Overall, it's exactly what you would expect out of Modest Mouse. There's good stuff on here and as I was listening to it, I could pick out the tracks that sounded like they came from certain recording sessions. For example, 'Guilty Cocker Spaniels' sounds like it would fit right in on 'Good News for People Who Love Bad News'. Other songs remind me of their early work and some sound like they would fit in with 'We Were Dead Before the Ship Evan Sank'. There's a little something for everyone here.

There's good stuff on here and this CD should not be overlooked by Modest Mouse fans. It's everything you would expect out of them.