In 2004 I made a very long journey from Lancaster, where I was studying at university, to Winchester and then even further south to Portsmouth to see Pitchshifter play in the Pyramids Centre. They were a band that we'd all loved throughout school and college, so it was nice to return to see them in a venue we'd seen them in before (on a date we'd seen them play there too) with some old friends. They were so important to us, that I took a five-hour train ride on a Wednesday after my classes finished, watched the band, stayed at my parents' house (for the last time in the house I'd grown up in - they moved a month later) and got a train back the next morning. I'm not sure I'd be quite so committed again.
Pre-booking the train meant I could travel for very little, but also meant a transfer across London. They always gave you an hour to do this, but I knew it only took about 15 minutes, so I jumped out in the middle and went to Selectadisc in Soho for a very quick shopping trip (my ticket didn't technically allow a break, so I had to plead ignorance with the guards at the gates on the tube). It was rushed, but I found some cool records, including this and Silverchair's excellent Neon Ballroom (for a stupidly cheap £6).
I'd been given the mp3s of The Moon and Antarctica by a guy called Andy in the first year of university and enjoyed them. I think the tracklisting was all twisted and I didn't get an actual copy and hear it in the right order until the Christmas after I bought this. The summer before, however, Float On had come out and I was in love with it (the fact that the 7" had a remix by John Congleton of The Paper Chase had endeared them to me further).
All that means that this record was at the start of peak-Modest Mouse fandom, an era that continued throughout university and a little into the Cardiff days. Their set at ATP was slightly disappointing - Isaac was sick and they played a set heavy in songs I don't care about (before they played I commented on how easily they could play a set of unbelievably huge songs, or they could take the 75% of album tracks that are just ok and be underwhelming; they went for the latter). At the end of The Melvins' set immediately before Modest Mouse, they wheeled out the two Modest Mouse drummers to join the two Melvins drummers for the last song, which blew all our minds - it was going to be a tough act to follow and they couldn't in my mind. That was probably the beginning of the end for me.
I enjoy this record, but it is in no way essential for the casual fan. Night on the Sun is the highlight and the reason the record exists really - it was a way of getting the Japanese-only EP out globally, along with some extra songs. It starts slowly (which makes the slow opener Willful Suspension of Disbelief feel a bit unnecessary) but Isaac's singing and the drums get it moving. There's a great almost-call-and-response moment with Isaac shouting "Well there's one thing you should no about this town" followed by a softer reply. It's a long song, but they squeeze in a lot. There are some filler tracks like the opener and The Air, but You're the Good Things is interesting and speeds up in a great way, and I Came as a Rat (Long Walk Off a Short Dock) is a welcome closer - not sure I could accurately say what the difference between it and the album version is. So Much Beauty in Dirt is a nice little song too, packing a lot of lyrics into a minute-and-a-half.
I played this record a fair amount back in the day, but not so much anymore - if I'm wanting to hear some Modest Mouse I tend to reach for The Moon and Antarctica or The Lonesome Crowded West (or even Baron Von Bullshit Rides Again, the live album which I found in the huge Virgin Megastore January sale in Lyon, France). I periodically think I should fill the gaps in my Modest Mouse collection, but I wonder if the moment has passed.
Format: 12", picture sleeve
Tracks: 8
Cost: £9 new
Bought: Selectadisc, London
When: 06/10/04
Colour: Black
Etching: none
mp3s: None
