Modest Mouse - Night On The Sun (Album Review)

 

Modest Mouse - Night On The Sun

(1999)


My copy: 2016 reissue by Glacial Pace.


This is a reissue of the original Japan-only EP that was released in 1999 ahead of Moon & Antarctica. Only two tracks are exclusive to this EP (“Night On The Sun” and “You’re The Good Things") though slightly modified versions of these two would end up on a later compilation of b-sides (Everywhere And His Nasty Parlour Tricks) from the same era.

The biggest draw of this EP is the lengthened version of the title track, which descends further into an ethereal trance of acoustic hammer-ons and pull-offs, dedicating additional time to this meditative outro. The other tracks are mostly the same as their counterparts apart from “Dark Center Of The Universe” which is more obviously an earlier demo, given its raw sound and heavier emphasis on the violin as a lead. The EP also includes the two Isaac Brock solo tracks “Wild Pack Of Family Dogs” and “Lives,” that also appear on Moon & Antarctica. 

It would seem that Modest Mouse enjoy a positive reputation in Japan, enough so that local fans would hilariously name their band ‘Ogre, You Asshole’ per Eric Judy’s drunken suggestion. The final untitled track is a clip of the late Jeremiah Green practicing Japanese, and in this last bit of humor we bear witness to their evolution from scrappy, post-hardcore brawlers to a more sophisticated branch of indie-rocker, thus sending off their more emotional era.


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