We’ve been dishing out a lot of No One’s First And You’re Next-related fare lately, and the responses remain mixed: People are loving, people are hating, but nary are folks simply lukewarm. It’s hard to chart a winner between the seemingly derided “Satellite Skin,” its more rousing B-Side “Guilty Cocker Spaniels,” and the Ugly Cassanova-esque “Autumn Beds.” I’m thinking “Autumn Beds”‘s new B-Side “Whale Song” will get more than its share of accolades, though, especially from folks who enjoy noisier, more epic MM. The 6-minute song opens with slippery guitars (whale sounds?) and closes with more slippery guitars, leaving an overlapping Isaac Brock with just enough room to get his words in there and then find a way out before drowning. To my ears, it’s the most interesting No One‘s material they’ve given us.
The “Autumn Beds” b/w “Whale Song” 7″ is out officially 6/23 in an edition of 4,000. You can pre-order it here. No One’s First and You’re Next is out in August via Epic.
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It is unexpected, but I like it.
Definitely the best so far….and by best i mean of 2009
YES! Please start making more songs like this again, Isaac.
It’s like a mix between something on Everywhere and His Nasty Parlour tricks and Lonesome Crowded West
Think i like Guilty Cocker Spaniels a bit more, but this is a close 2nd. It’s really hard not to love anything these guys make, a few more listens and i bet it will get better.
very whale-y. Sort of reminds me of The Moon and Antarctica. I like it!
yeah, that’s what i was going to say. good call. this is the best song of 2009 so far. fucking a.
Up there for me too (except that I don’t rank stuff anymore). Still, I’ve been enjoying this all weekend. Also check out the new Polvo song that’s floating around. Between these two and that Mew song, it’s been a good month for weird fucking guitar songs.
I found their stuff harder to get into since Good News due to the fact that it isn’t as much fun to drive to.
Make more music for long drives.
listen to this person. PLEASE.
Gorgeous!!! absolutely gorgeous.
That intro is brilliant!
I like what I have heard from Satellite Skin so far, but honestly, this song is just annoying.
That guitar riff makes my ears bleed.
This is so effing good. I like the new direction they are undertaking. Can’t wait to hear the rest.
this one really works especially the crazy guitar work.
I am going to be listening to this nonstop for like a month. Best song since Night on the Sun, while stuff like Bukowski, Parting of the Sensory, and Spitting Venom came very close. Great job, Issac & co.
yes, yes, and FUCK YES
I thought Modest Mouse was done making weird, epic guitar songs like this, but I’m glad I was wrong. The “whale” noises remind me of the bird-like sounds in “Make Everybody Happy / Mechanical Birds” off Long Drive.
modest mouse is back
For me, this is the best kind of Modest Mouse song. Their past couple full-lengths have been good but a little too… I guess busy for them? There are other bands that do that kind of thing better, but this is what Modest Mouse is best at: that moody, squalling, maniacal guitar music with an ear for space. This is cool to hear because they haven’t been this on since The Moon & Antarctica which, no coincidentally, has a very similar energy. Hopefully, this isn’t the last we’ll hear of it.
i diggggggggg
This is where they should have gone after Moon and Antartica….rips…
Welcome back, dudes. Loving it
This might be the first Stereogum thread I’ve seen with no negative comments and probably the thread I would expect a bunch. I think the song is awesome though.
this is so narly it should have been called the narwhal song
not available in america
My head exploded.