Tick Tock, Tick Tock

Piper Ferguson

The mouse that roared: Isaac Brock (front, center) and bandmates

Related Content

• The National Poster Retrospecticus in Minneapolis
  April 9, 2013
• Local Frames: New videos from Liars, the Japhies, Twin Cities Funk and Soul All-Stars, and more
  October 4, 2012
• Nice Purse
  June 6, 2012
• Modest Mouse at the Orpheum Theater, 7/14/10
  July 15, 2010
• Johnny Marr
  April 17, 2013

More About

• Isaac Brock
• Brock Brock Brock
• Modest Mouse
• Lars Ulrich
• Benjamin Weikel

Beyond these two core noisemakers is a symphony of slacker strings and guitar sproings and second-line horns. And it's this very clutter that helps to unearth the enjoyment that is otherwise buried up to the neck. For the sake of comparison, think of Carl Stalling's soundtracks to the torments of Wile E. Coyote, which make it tolerable to watch that fleet-footed little asshole beep-beep away. On second thought, doesn't Modest Mouse sound like a cartoon character ready-made for our own looney tune world? When we hear Brock's plaintive sighs, maybe we really ought to be listening for the sound of a Bronx cheer, and a big-grinned trickster yowling, That's all, folks!