Spitting Venom

I probably have more thoughts floating around in my head about Modest Mouse than any other band, ranging from the inocuous (How does Isaac Brock growl out those low notes without shredding his vocal cords?) to the philosophical (Is "Good News for People Who Love Bad News" a great album but a bad Modest Mouse album)?  The answer to the latter is "No" but it is thought provoking.  I prefer to see it as a gateway drug that let a larger portion of the population in on the secret.

For the first time last night, I was able to find out how Modest Mouse sounded in person.  Living in the shadow of Coachella does have it's advantages.  Following the expansion to two identical weekends last year, Pomona became a prime location for catching the festival's crumbs. I fully acknowledge this will not put my hipster protests to bed, but Punk Rock Girl and I waded through the sea of flannel shirts holding PBR tallboys to watch the show at the Fox Theater in Pomona.  I'm not sure how all of the children snuck out on a school night, but Pomona, am I right?  Skipping the opener to proceed directly to the main attraction, we were not disappointed.  If anything, I feel the Fox Theater sound was a slight letdown to the band, but with the amount of distortion Modest Mouse feeds on, I think I would need another control in my experiment to know where the blame lies.  The group was not polished, as this represents one of a few scattered dates rather than a cohesive tour.  We're still waiting on their first new album since 2007 to justify that roadtrip.  But regardless, their talent shone through.  And we were treated to three new songs, enough to give us hope that an album is indeed in the pipeline.  Spitting Venom though, right?  Totally.

In honor of the show, I will rank the Mouse's top 5 proper albums:
1. The Moon and Antarctica
2. We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
3. The Lonesome Crowded West
4. Good News for People Who Love Bad News
5. This is a Long Drive for Somone with Nothing to Think About

For the record, 25 year-old Steve would have ranked Good News first.  Now, I prefer to consume my Good News in the words of Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior.  Also for the record, 45 year-old Steve will listen only to Jackson Browne and Steely Dan. 

Longreads.com

Longreads.com is my latest addiction.  I have always been a fan of the long-form article.  It provides a strident counterpoint to the Reddits and Diggs of the world which have reduced reading to headlines and cat pictures.  Tangent: Reddit has gone downhill quite quickly recently as the uncleansed have overrun it.  This isn't a surprise.  Digg underwent the same indignities not too long ago.

In the hopes of convincing you, I have posted my favorite article from Longreads so far.  This delightful piece is a compelling tale that could have been written by the offspring of Agatha Christie and Cormac McCarthy if time travel were possible.  With that intro, I beg you to read the story of The Body in Room 348.  Or wait and I'm sure you'll see it summarized on a thrilling episode of CSI in the not too distant future if reading isn't really your bag.  The original story is pulled from Vanity Fair, which is an excellent source of articles along these lines when the perfume samples don't drive you away. 

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