by Sam Beresky
Daily Lobo
Though Modest Mouse has been around for years, the band is now finally poised to become the reigning king of unsettling, introspective indie rock.
Vocalist Isaac Brock, complete with a Who-like pose, is the musical genius behind the edgy band from the Northwest that played to a sold-out Sunshine Theater Friday.
"Hey monkeys! How are you all doing, monkeys? We're the organ grinders," Brock announced as the band took the stage for the one hour and 40 minute set. The four-piece band launched into "3rd Planet," the first song off the critically acclaimed album, The Moon and Antarctica. It was not long before the entire swarming multitude was hanging on Brock's every word, anticipating the twangy, pensive guitar sound that has become a Modest Mouse signature.
The band's ability to toy with the crowd's energy and emotion was dead-on. Evidence of this skill came during the fourth song of the set, "Wild Pack of Family Dogs," when the bassist and a roadie accompanied the rest of the band with some funky tambourine and cowbell playing. The song turned into one of the slowest, most eclectic sing-alongs this reporter has ever witnessed.
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Modest Mouse didn't miss a step in bringing the energy back up with "Paper Thin Walls" played on top of roaring applause. The song, like most Modest Mouse songs, has a very simple yet addictive beat that got everyone jumping and singing with the music.
The show continued with driving beats and primitive, thoughtful guitar, alternating between heart-wrenching lows and fist-pumping, soaring highs when Brock's powerful vocals took the audience to new extremes.
These moments came across best on songs like "Trailer Trash" and "Doin' the Cockroach," from the band's 1997 album, The Lonesome Crowded West. "Back of the metro/Ride on the Greyhound/Drunk on the Amtrak/Please shut up!" yelled the whole audience. The emotion in Brock's delivery even spawned a few bold crowd surfers, which is all but unheard of at indie rock shows.
To add to the surreal quality of the music, band members said they found some cheesy Christmas decorations in the basement of the Sunshine. At one point a fully decorated, snow-covered Christmas tree mysteriously floated across the stage and again when the band took a quick break before the encore. Somehow, a foam Santa Claus filled in on lead vocals and guitar while a reindeer pranced on drums.
Sometimes bands have a difficult time topping themselves after an amazing set. Modest Mouse had no problem astonishing the crowd for four more songs. "Bankrupt On Selling" was one of the most emotional of the evening. Then came a mellow, acoustic, countrified number, followed by another sing-along of a Cheap Trick cover.
Modest Mouse closed the show with "Cowboy Dan" from The Lonesome Crowded West. The song was an extended, 10-minute-plus version with trippy guitar effects and raw emotive energy that saw Brock as excited about the music as the crowd was.
The amazing thing about Modest Mouse live is the primal, simplistic emotion topped with powerful vocals and layers of sound that make fans respond.
With performances like Friday's and a new album being released early next year, Isaac Brock and company will certainly take indie-rock to new places - everywhere.
