I’ve noticed that the majority of bands I’ve loved since I was younger have entirely abandoned their old style for music that feels far more bland and uninteresting. It breaks my heart to no end when a band I’ve loved releases a new album and by halfway through you’re done with it.
Lately this has been happening too often to me. Anyone else notice this with their music selection of choice?
One of my favorite bands is Brand New, who had a different sound and feel to each album all while having a few threads that could tie between them. It was enjoyable to experience the arc of the phases the band went through in their lives. Likewise for The Beatles, or Queen, The Who, or more modern bands like the RxBandits (ska -> progrock) or Streetlight Manifesto (ska -> Roma jazz/Calypso/‘other’).
Then there’s creative concept bands like The Decemberists who dig deep into a style for an album, and the dedication to that version of the art form is a cherry on top of the musicality. Maybe Panic! At the Disco falls into this category too for some.
(The above is not an exhaustive list)
Then there’s, well, medio-core
Brand New, like Modest Mouse, would massively evolve between albums. That’s different than a complete shift in sound (although similar in concept). Built to Spill kinda did this too, although to a much lesser degree.
Both are amazing, btw, and I love them both for it.
I appreciate you commenting, because I’ll certainly be checking out Built to Spill tomorrow! Also because it’s a good take on the album timeline of those bands, for sure. There’s a very clear memory of listening to Your Favorite Weapon on the way to the record shop and going “ohhhhhhhh I get it!” listening to Deja Entendu on the way home. I ended up ordering the special vinyl of Daisy and Science Fiction but when I first heard Daisy I was all
Gee, thanks! It’s rare that I get positive feedback regarding this sort of comment. I’m glad to hear that this positively impacted your music listening experience!
If you like MM, Built to Spill will be right up your alley. Two of my favorite bands. The first two albums especially Keep It Like a Secret and Perfect from Now On, are classics of PNW indie rock.
I’ve not listened to anything from Modest Mouse since We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank. I see they’ve released a couple albums since then, how do these compare to their older albums?
There’s been two albums since. Strangers to Ourselves has some gems but I think a lot of people found to be a weaker release. The most recent one, The Golden Casket, I liked quite a bit better.
Tragically, Jeremiah Green, the drummer and one of the founding members of MM, passed away in Dec 2022. They haven’t disbanded or anything but their output might change pretty significantly from here on out.
Ah that’s sad to hear about their drummer.
I’ll give The Golden Casket a listen to, thanks!