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opinions were like kittens i was giving them away. -modest mouse
there's nothing as something as one. -e. e. cummings
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Did you ever buy one of those albums that, after owning if for a few weeks, you realize you haven’t even heard ¾ of the songs yet? Reason being, at least in the case of albums like “This is a long drive for someone with nothing to think about”, you’ve gotten so much enjoyment out of just the first few songs you haven’t felt a need to listen to the rest of the material yet. These are the great records, and personally I can count the number on one hand.
Track listing:
01 Dramamine
02 Breakthrough
03 Custom Concern
04 Might
05 Lounge
06 Beach Side Property
07 Ionizes & Atomizes
08 Head South
09 Dog Paddle
10 Novocain Stain
11 Tundra/Desert
12 Ohio
13 Exit Does Not Exist
14 Talking Shit About a Pretty Sunset
15 Make Everyone Happy/Mechanical Birds
16 Space Travel Is Boring
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For Modest Mouse fans, it all started here, with 16 delicious slices of rustic guitar play, trailer-spat philosophy, and an ear for both sweetly touching melodies and extreme abrasion. Expanding upon the themes of emotional and geographic isolation found in the band’s work, “This is a long drive….” Finds Modest Mouse mixing slow, brooding numbers such as “Custom Concern” and “Talking Shit about a Pretty Sunset” with thrashing guitar workouts like “Breakthrough” and “Head South.” The general mood here is one of loneliness and desparation, eloquently expressed through both the lyrics and rhythmic, sprawling instrumentation. “Dramamine”, for instance, with its driving, mid-tempo beat and ricocheting guitar line, sums up the hopelessness of a doomed relationship, “Head South” frantically deals with the feeling of “being ashamed of your old space”. The mandolin, slide guitar, and cello featured throughout the album give the songs a certain degree of depth that makes them stand out from average indie rock fare.
In general, This is a Long Drive for Someone With Nothing to Think About is a fine album of guitar-based rock, and Modest Mouse distinguishes itself here with songs whose meanings are simultaneously universal and painfully personal.
-Christine Beals 08/07/03
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