Modest Mouse Are Masters Of Their Craft At Webster Hall

After a long hiatus, Modest Mouse is at it again with a brand new album called “Strangers To Ourselves.” The album was released recently with high acclaim and accolades for its depth and strong musicianship. It is full of what we have grown to love from the Portland legends; aggressive and intelligent lyrics thrown over spastic music that hits all the senses in the right places.

Rolling into NYC, for two sold out shows at Webster Hall, Modest Mouse proved they are masters of their craft – a craft that which thousands of bands have tried, and miserably failed to emulate in the indie scene. Stepping out on a fog shrouded stage to a deafening applause on the second night, Modest Mouse took whatever energy the fans gave and threw it back in their faces ten-fold with hammering guitar lines and nasty multi-layered beats. The floor was bumping up and down so hard that it was a tough chore to get photos, the crowds spirit was palpable and lasted the whole set.

The obvious “star” of the show was lead singer Isaac Brock, who is a natural front-man who did things his way with no added “rockstar bullshit” that can take away from a performance. While Brock is the “star,” the rest of the band is the engine and drives the powerful and intricate musical ship in the form of two percussionists, and a crew of musicians that seemingly played different instruments on each song.

The set-list wasn’t heavy on any certain album but drew on the bands larger catalogue as a whole that tickled your senses and ears with songs like “Dashboard” and “Lampshades On Fire.” The show is easily one of the best that this young year has brought us and Modest Mouse will be back in July at the Celebrate Brooklyn stage.

Set-List

1. The World at Large
2. Ocean Breathes Salty
3. Fly Trapped in a Jar
4. Here’s to Now
5. The Best Room
6. Coyotes
7. Out of Gas
8. Tiny Cities Made of Ashes
9. Wicked Campaign (live debut)
10. Bukowski
11. Sugar Boats
12. Dashboard
13. The Ground Walks, With Time in a Box
14. Baby Blue Sedan
15. Lampshades On Fire
16. The View