by Scott Thill
Are you ready to kick your summer into gear? This intrigue-filled
world is about to get much hotter -- especially if you happen to be a
guy named Donald Rumsfeld. Hey, don't kill the messenger.
Which is just another way of saying that these next few
months are all about rolling down the windows and cranking up the noise!
After releasing three straight epoch-making indie rock
albums, Black Francis and company had fully captured the attention and
imagination of music lovers everywhere -- except America, which still
had a hard time assimilating their brilliance into its stagnant airwaves.
Perhaps the Pixies had that on their minds when they put together the
underrated Bossanova, their most accessible work. There's no doubt that
some of the album is easier on the ears than Surfer Rosa or Come On Pilgrim;
to be sure, angular surf ditties like "Ana," "Havalina"
and "Is She Weird" are low-key classics.
But those who have called Bossanova soft -- by Pixies
standards, at least -- weren't paying serious attention. The album kicks
off with four consecutive noise orgies, including one of their loudest,
roughest punk songs ever, called (ironically enough) "Rock Music."
Even "Allison," a song about jazz icon Mose Allison, is a raucous
barnburner that clocks in under a minute and 20 seconds. Accessible? Maybe.
Soft? Keep dreaming.
Speaking of the Pixies, one the of the bands that lurched
into the void left behind by the band in 1993 was Modest Mouse, formed
by Isaac Brock and his Issaquah, WA buddies Jeremiah Green and Eric Judy.
A few permutations and several years later, Brock -- who shares an affinity
for cryptic lyrics, cavernous bellows and disjointed musical composition
with Black Francis -- and company were treated to a bidding war and what
amounts to indie rock stardom, culminating in this year's well-received
release.
Brock's chops are on full display on Good News, and they
are formidable. Departing from the measured -- and sometimes too crafty
-- The Moon and Antarctica, Modest's latest album returns to the rock
sound for more poetic rantings on life, death and all things in between.
"Bukwoski" and "Devil's Workday" are potent stomps
that'll make the moshers happy, while those who prefer Brock's dreamy
soundscapes will feast on "One Chance" and "World at Large."
Modest Mouse seems to be maturing at a steady rate, but still seem interested
in phreaking the paradigm whenever they can. In other words, this is the
perfect summer album. Dig in.
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