Everywhere and His Nasty Parlour Tricks

by

Modest Mouse

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It cracks me up that "purist" Modest Mouse fans give this album a lower rating because it isn't like Building Something Out of Nothing or A Long Drive or Lonesome Crowded West or Moon Over Antartica. To me, that's like complaining that Radiohead's The Bends isn't anything like Pablo Honey or that Kid A isn't anything like OK Computer. What makes Modest Mouse and Radiohead awesome bands is that they experiment with sounds while still staying true to their own creative direction. Their sounds change. If you want Modest Mouse to keep re-releasing versions of Lonesome then I say you don't really appreciate the full scope of their music.

On Everywhere and His Nasty Parlour Tricks, Modest Mouse sounds like they're playing a small club on a mellow Thursday night in the middle of a Northwest rainy winter, not tearing up The Showbox on a sweaty Saturday night in the heat of summer. The two gems are Night on the Sun and Here It Comes, although every song is fantastic with one notable exception: #5. This is a bit of a stinker. I skip it every time because it sounds like filler. That said, the stripped down sound and slower tempo of this album is a striking contrast to other MM albums, and equally satisfying.

Upon visiting my local record store I asked the knowledgeable clerk (a la High Fidelity) what the best darn tootin' Modest Mouse recording is. He snapped his CD dusting fingers and without hestitation declared Everywhere and His Nasty Parlour Tricks their finest. I had only previously heard the current single on the smelly corporate radio station in L.A., and this group of tracks WHOOOOOOSH!! swept me away. Simple, pleasant melodies paired with clever lyrics and fatalistic dreamery is an inept way to decribe this CD that has not left my changer for three months. It rests between spins alongside other current favs (read: if you like...you will like...) Franz Ferdinand, Elefant, Mum, and The Stills.