In Rotation: Modest Mouse - No One's First, and You're Next

I’m always excited when there’s a new Modest Mouse release, even if the material isn’t new. No One’s First, and You’re Next is a collection of B-sides from the Good News for People Who Love Bad News and We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank sessions, and while all these songs have been previously released in one way or another, having them all compiled onto one disc makes for a pretty good EP.

No One’s First features 8 songs that sound like the two albums that they were originally made for, so if you’re a fan of those releases, then you’ll find a lot to like here. “Guilty Cocker Spaniels” features typical MM almost-rap/ranting vocals over layered guitars, and “Autumn Beds,” with its wonderful sing-along chorus, is possibly the catchiest track on the EP. The lengthy guitar workout, “The Whale Song,” is reminiscent of some of the stuff on The Moon and Antarctica. The common Modest Mouse themes of life, death, God, and the Devil are here in full force, and they are conveyed in the weird and feverish way that only singer Isaac Brock can convey them. The only qualm I have with the disc is that I would have preferred another B-side in place of “I’ve Got It All (Most)” considering that the song has been the most widely available track (it was on the “Float On” single as well as the deluxe edition of Good News..), and I’m not sure that it really fits here.

No One’s First, and You’re Next is another good Modest Mouse EP in the vein of 1999’s Building Nothing Out of Something and 2001’s Everywhere and His Nasty Parlour Tricks, collecting the odds and ends of their most recent albums. It’s not as strong as those other releases, but it’s definitely worth checking out.

- Jake