By Chris Nixon
San Diego Union-Tribune
May 10, 2007
So, how's it going Isaac Brock?
“It's going OK,” said the 31-year-old lead singer of Modest Mouse in his best deadpan voice, giving a little chuckle before settling into a mini-rant about his current state of affairs. “It's going as good as any day that you wake up next to an oil refinery in a parking lot next to some sort of basketball stadium can be and it's raining and cold and you're sleeping on a bus. Yeah, it's great.”
Brock has often been portrayed as moody and mercurial in the media, but he's in a pretty good mood on this particular day: “We're having some really good shows. I'm still adjusting to playing to people sitting down. We've played a lot of seated venues on this tour, which kind of isn't what we do: places that you would go to see 'My Fair Lady' or 'Wicked.' So, that's been an interesting challenge. You end up working extra hard to really try to change the energy of a seated room.”
The rigors of touring aside, life is actually quite good for Brock and his bandmates in Modest Mouse. Since the release of their 1996 debut disc, “This Is a Long Drive for Someone With Nothing to Think About,” Brock's band has gradually risen through the ranks of the indie rock world.
DATEBOOK
Modest Mouse, with Man Man, Love as Laughter
6:30 p.m. Monday; Cox Arena, San Diego State University, College Area; $33.75-$35.75; (619) 594-0429
“The Moon & Antarctica” – the major label debut on Epic Records – preserved Modest Mouse's indie cred while gaining critical acclaim, setting the stage for the band's successful fourth studio album, 2004's “Good News for People Who Love Bad News.”
Coming on the heels of the No. 1 singles, “Float On” and “Good News” (which sold 1.5 millions copies and garnered two Grammy nominations), the Portland-based group added two new members in preparation for the fifth album: percussionist Joe Plummer (formerly of San Diego's Black Heart Procession) and legendary Smiths' guitarist Johnny Marr.
“It's six people. We all work on every song together,” Brock said of Marr's addition to the group. “It's a dialogue. So no one is pushing it forward any more than any one else. It's an interaction. (Marr) wasn't getting brought on board to push us ahead in any way other than being an interesting addition to the band. He writes in a different style than I do, so he brought another perspective on writing songs for the band.”
The songwriting collaboration between the six people in Modest Mouse (Brock, Marr, Plummer, bassist Eric Judy, drummer Jeremiah Green and multi-instrumentalist Tom Peloso) is “We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank,” released on March 20 by Epic. Marr calls it “Guitarzilla,” referencing Modest Mouse's most guitar-heavy album. Brock describes it as a “nautical balalaika carnival romp.”
Following in the footsteps of “Good News for People Who Love Bad News,” Brock tapped producer Dennis Herring (Counting Crows, Camper Van Beethoven, Jars of Clay) to help polish MM's sound. Again, Herring and company hit the mark in melding Brock's lyrical fleets of fancy and guttural vocals with an accessible pop sheen, especially on the single “Dashboard” and the hummable “Fire It Up.” Marr adds bulk to the guitar lines, taking MM's musical quotient up a notch or two.
Brock further explained the relationship of Marr to his new band: “No matter how long you've been making records, you're still learning. Especially someone like Johnny, who was willing to do something as odd as sign up with this weird band from the Northwest he never met before. It's about learning more. We're all interested in learning from each other.”
Though most of the reviews are positive, some critics have been lukewarm to “We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank” compared to the gushing praise that followed releases of “The Lonesome Crowded West” and “The Moon & Antarctica.” Pitchfork.com gave “We Were Dead” a 7.8 out of 10. Rolling Stone gave it a 3.5 out of 5. British music mag NME gave it a 7 out of 10. But what do critics know?
“As far as worrying about whether people like what we do, at one point I decided that I really couldn't make good music if I was going to be concerned about that,” admitted Brock. “That whole thing would complicate everything too much for me. All I can do is make sure the people I write music with are happy with it and I'm happy with it.”
Chris Nixon is a San Diego music writer.
Hear sound clips from Modest Mouse's “We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank” by logging on to entertainment.signonsandiego.com/profiles/events/modestmouse.
MODEST MOUSE
Birthplace: Issaquah, Wash.
Current home: Portland, Ore.
Formed: 1993
Label: Epic
Lineup: Isaac Brock – vocals, guitar; Eric Judy – bass; Jeremiah Green – drums; Johnny Marr – guitar; Tom Peloso – multi-instrumentalist; Joe Plummer – percussion
SAN DIEGO ON HIS RADAR
Isaac Brock says he has been following San Diego indie rock bands closely for quite some time: “I'm totally a fan (of Black Heart Procession's music). I'm totally a fan of Pinback's music. I love the Hot Snakes. I love (Drive Like) Jehu. Jehu is one of my favorite all-time bands actually.”
Brock's respect for the San Diego music scene led to concrete connections with musicians with local ties. Joe Plummer – formerly of Black Heart Procession – is Modest Mouse's current percussionist. Black Heart singer-guitarist Pall Jenkins collaborated with Brock on his side project Ugly Casanova.
With a new Modest Mouse album out and the subsequent tour under way, Jenkins and Brock will probably be working together again soon.
“He and I are already talking about it,” said Brock about a possible future collaboration. “So, when things simmer down, we'll do something again. Only time will tell. To be honest, this is when you start thinking about other projects. I love touring, but the record's out. I don't have a new record to work on right now. I don't have a new project. So my mind is definitely wandering and I'm trying to think about other things I'd like to try to do.”
– CHRIS NIXON
A MODEST MOUSE PRIMER
“This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About” (Up Records, 1996):
The skinny: Brock and company are finding their voice on this, their first shot over the bow.
Favorite song: “Dramamine,” beautiful guitar lines intersect with Brock's growl.
“The Lonesome Crowded West” (Up Records, 1997):
The skinny: The indie crowd takes notice.
Favorite song: “Jesus Christ Was an Only Child,” fiddle-infused sea chantey with reflections on JC and “Teeth Like God's Shoeshine,” some of Brock's best lyrics.
“The Moon & Antarctica” (Epic Records, 2000):
The skinny: The major-label debut, setting the stage for commercial blockbusterdom.
Favorite song: “Gravity Rides Everything,” a quiet moment with Isaac complete with acoustic strumming and ambient keyboards.
“Good News for People Who Love Bad News” (Epic Records, 2004):
The skinny: The blockbuster, propelling MM into stardom and making the single “Float On” an ubiquitous presence on TV and radio in 2004.
Favorite song: “The Devil's Work Song,” Brock gets all Tom Waits with the help of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band.
“We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank” (Epic Records, 2007):
The skinny: New and improved Modest Mouse complete with guitar legend.
Favorite song: “We've Got Everything” ranks among MM's most infectious tunes (complete with Marrs' guitar lines and James Mercer's backing vocals) though “Fire It Up” is set to become the summer anthem of 2007.
– CHRIS NIXON
