Modest Mouse

Modest Mouse: Sad Sappy SuckerSad Sappy Sucker (2001)
K

Reviewer Rating: 3.5

User Rating:

Contributed by: soulbleedsoulbleed
(others by this writer | submit your own)
Published on February 13th 2004Modest Mouse have always been an interesting band with equally interesting a sound. It's nearly impossible to compare them to another band -- their weird combination of country, trad rock, and noise have stumped a-many music fans since the early 90's. As a band, they've lived off defying categorizat.

Modest Mouse have always been an interesting band with equally interesting a sound. It's nearly impossible to compare them to another band -- their weird combination of country, trad rock, and noise have stumped a-many music fans since the early 90's. As a band, they've lived off defying categorization since their inception, always turning left when you've thought they were going to turn right. In terms of song constructive patterns, the band has none -- they've followed whatever was in their stoned-out minds, even if people told them it was a bad idea. They might have scrapped some things after realizing they actually were bad ideas, but even those 'scraps' made a damn fine album (2000's Building Nothing out of Something was a compilation of b-sides and rarities from the Up catalog).

But they did make a crucial mistake very early on, and that was not releasing their original debut album. Most fans think that This is a Long Drive (1996) was their first record, but it was actually this album right here -- originally recorded in 1994 by Calvin Johnson (founder of K Records and current member of Dub Narcotic Sound System). The first 12 tracks on Sad Sappy Sucker were originally packaged to be the album that was eventually scrapped, but it also features the recordings from the Worms Vs Birds and Blue Cadet 3 vinyls, and nine songs from Issac Brock's Dial-A-Song project (most of which are extremely odd and pointless, ringing in no longer than 35 seconds a piece). The actual Modest Mouse material that made it's way onto the album is all nearly flawless, although some of it does lack the sparks that flew during their later recordings, although "Worms vs. Birds", "Dukes Up", and "From Point A to Point B" come close.

While it's a shame to call Sad Sappy Sucker inessential, it really is. Sure, it's a nice treat for those interested in hearing their early years, but for those who already owned and/or downloaded their earlier materials before they were made available for this disc, it comes off as kind of pointless. Isaac's dial-a-sound recordings are interesting to hear, but they're really nothing special. They sound like things that were eventually made into Modest Mouse songs, or things that were actually part of their songs already. All in all, they should have put them on a bonus disc rather than combine it with the original album's material -- but hey, I really shouldn't be complaining about it. It was a gift that K even released the album onto CD, because a lot of these tracks never made it past the 7" format.

Check this album out if you're a diehard, but this isn't the place to start off if you're just discovering Modest Mouse -- start off with This Is A Long Drive.

Login to rate this album

People who liked this also liked:

Please login or register to post comments.What are the benefits of having a Punknews.org account?

Share your opinion by posting comments on the stories that interest you
Rate music and bands and help shape the weekly top ten
Let Punknews.org use your ratings to help you find bands and albums you might like
Customize features on the site to get the news the way you want.

Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not respon sible for them in any way. Seriously.

Anonymous (November 24, 2005)

Nice forum you got here, I'm here to tell you that the end of the world is near, (or not) http://www.los-angeles-casino.com/lanir/casino-directory-2005.htm l

soulbleed (February 19, 2004)

how about using paragraphs in your review?

wtf? i'm pretty sure i did.

poopypants (February 18, 2004)

yea mormons are lame, sorry, theyr'e pretty close minded and weird

. and i don't think i'm a badass cuz i sell software, the goddamn original reason i brought up my occupation is because someone assumed (maybe it was you i forget) that since i don't like modest mouse but my art fag friend does that i must not have went to college and my friend did and that i work at burger king. i stated my occupation and that ironically, my art fag friend is a college dropout , unemployed and lives in his parents basement, while i finished college, got a good job and play in a band. thats the only reason i brought up my job, to prove some pretentious asshole that not everyone who listens to nofx is some retarded ape washing dishes.

its just that in many cases, people who listen to this kind of artsy fartsy indy shit have this stick up their ass that their musical tastes are superior to anyone elses, and if i don't like it i must either be musically retarded, uneducated, young, or that i 'don't get it' or that i must only like shit thats 'punk as fuck'. its the whole hipster elite mentality. i understand that not everyone likes nofx or any other band i listen too. fine. its a matter of taste, but too often, indy pretentious people who hang in coffee shops and play open mics assume that anyone who doesnt like this shit just hasent caught up to their intelligence curve yet.

dignin (February 17, 2004)

Too bad all you do is sell the stuff. I'm not questioning the company, I know nothing about it, I'm questioning you on why you think your some kind of badass cause you sell software? It's like saying newspaper boys are responsible for the news.

So now I'm not only a "art fag" but also I live in the dreaded "morman country". Way to be accepting of everyone.

poopypants (February 17, 2004)

However Orlando, Chicago, Philadelphia, Kansas City , Quebec and LA all bring tourism into their cities and organize conventions using our system. it has slightly more economic impact than bingo in pittsburgh. unfortunately no one in morman country uses our system. sadly theres not much of a tourism market in utah.

poopypants (February 17, 2004)

ironically, pittsburgh doesnt use our system.

dignin (February 17, 2004)

"sorry i got educated. and dignin, i'm sure you're making a huge change in the system taking pictures in fucking utah."

"god i love how you indy fags shoot your mouths off all the time. pretentious assholes, go listen to your q and not u cd and jack off."

"ok asshole, now you're getting downright hateful."

Even though from the above statements it is obvious you are a hypocrite, I forgive you. I had no idea with your ace salesmanship you paved the way for Bingo playes from all over the world to visit Pittsburg, I think the mayor of the city owes you a key to the city.

poopypants (February 17, 2004)

and quess what "poopypants"? Walmart started from "the ground up" too. A matter of fact most business' did. And keep telling yourself your some kind software savior, but really your equivelant of the dipshits that work at media play. Except they probably have a better taste in music.

And photography has changed this world a hell of alot more than "software salesman

ok asshole, now you're getting downright hateful. i am not some 'software savior'. i sell software for the convention and visitors bereau industry, or travel industry. they are the people in charge of getting tourism in your city. our software helps organize conventions, booking hotel rooms and stuff like that. i listen to much more music than nofx. some art fag stuff i like our the shins, raveonettes, pavement, archers of loaf.i also like ska, reggae, hip hop (talib kweli, the roots for example) and many other styles of music. i also sing in a local punk band. the company i work for will never be a walmart, anymore than your local indy record store will be a best buy someday. we are in a small market, and there are only 15 employees at our company. we are doing our best to help the tourism industry function easier, something that has become very difficult since 9/11. i am helping the economy. if small business is not punk for you, i'm sorry. and photography has changed the world, admittedly, but to say the software i sell does not is foolish. i'm not pimping some useless product. the clients who buy our system continue to upgrade it, we have clients that go back 10 years, and have great releationsihps with them.

dignin (February 17, 2004)

I wasn't making fun of your job as much as I was fun of the fact you listen to NOFX. Don't worry, soon you'll learn there's music besides what is put out by Fat and epitaph. And I know The Casualities aren't on either of those labels so save your breath.

modest mouse > q and not u > NOFX

Anonymous (February 17, 2004)

how about using paragraphs in your review?

poopypants (February 17, 2004)

and the fact that i work for an independent software company that started in pittsburgh from the ground up is pretty cool. i guess supporting small business isnt cool either though right? you do realize indy labels are small business's also, so i think i am helping change the system. one more sale for me is one less for some gigantic software giant. its the equivelent of working at an indy record store dickhead. god i love how you indy fags shoot your mouths off all the time. pretentious assholes, go listen to your q and not u cd and jack off.

poopypants (February 17, 2004)

hell yea i still like nofx. and yea, i forgot, having a real job makes me not punk, cuz so much change in the world is made by all you unemployed punks or punks with shitty jobs. sorry i got educated. and dignin, i'm sure you're making a huge change in the system taking pictures in fucking utah.

these guys modestly suck.

dignin (February 17, 2004)

you're 23 and still like nofx, ouch. Hey, don't worry though you'll probably take down the system as a software salesman.

poopypants (February 17, 2004)

modest mouse. uhh, my pretentious art fag friend loves this shit. he used to love nofx. i miss the old him. this stuff is just crap. pure shit. i would like to take a modest dump on their heads.

Lemme guess. He went off to college, and you're stuck living at home and working at Burger King.

hahahaha, how ironic. i like how you art fags assume i'm uneducated because i think these guys suck. actually, the friend i'm referring to lives in his parents basement, is 23, dropped out of college after 1 year, is unemployed, and plays art fag rock with his friends. i however, graduated the university of pittsburgh last april and now work full time as a sales rep for a software company and have my own apt. nofx>modest mouse.

this score is for the art fags.

Anonymous (February 15, 2004)

saw them live on thursday

dignin (February 15, 2004)

"this is only the debut album in the sense that it was recorded prior to long drive,"

I quess you don't "know dick" about reading, because the reviewer said that.

Anonymous (February 15, 2004)

really bad review. you clearly don't know dick about modest mouse. this is only the debut album in the sense that it was recorded prior to long drive, but it was never intended to be released as an album. they were just things isaac did by himself. only about half the songs on here feature a full band.

Anonymous (February 15, 2004)

Any band that puts their music on an advert loses artistic merit immediately, unless they need the money.

However, I can imagine Mogwai could have done with a little more cash, and I don't know too much about Modest Mouse, so they both get let off...

Anonymous (February 15, 2004)

Somebody give this kid a cookie!!!
twat

Anonymous (February 14, 2004)

I've got the entire new album suckers.

maverick (February 14, 2004)

This band's split CD/12" with 764-HERO is complete gold. I love that record to death. It was actually my first exposure to Modest Mouse.

-Scott

hungryjoe (February 14, 2004)

did anyone else see the Saturn commercial with "Gravity Rides Everything." I love that song.

I did see that. Good for them. I like watching TV, and hearing songs I never would have expected to hear. Like when Mogwai got one of their best songs ("Summer") on a Levi's commercial, and "Do You Realize" by the Flaming Lips is on a car commercial now. It's also why I enjoy the episode of Clone High where they play practically half of Snapcase's End Transmission. Hooray.

dignin (February 13, 2004)

well hell don't let this cd scare you away. I'm a hardcore modest mouse fan I dont care for this release. Find a burned copy of either The Moonn and Antartica or Lonesome crowded West.

FortyMinutesWest (February 13, 2004)

"forty, what cd's have you heard?"

This one and a bunch of assorted songs. My friend is trying to convert me, but its not working.