The pensive and delicate "Little Motel" stands out among the more raucous songs on Modest Mouse's latest album, We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank. And the stunning new video is a far cry from the nautical-themed highjinks we saw in the clip for "Dashboard." The visuals for "Little Motel" are more like an indie movie, complete with backwards storytelling, a la Memento. I love the little Read more

What an optimistic year in music this is shaping up to be. First, Arcade Fire's new album debuts at No. 2, and this week, Modest Mouse has scored the first number one album of its career, according to Billboard. We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank debuted at the top of the charts, moving more than 129,000 copies in the U.S. By contrast, the band's last breakthrough hit, Good News for People Read more

Poor Modest Mouse. After more than 10 years of toil on the indie-rock scene, the band scored a hit single — 2004's "Float On" — and became the insta-example used in every argument about musical sellouts. But really, it was just a case of a catchy song catching on in an unexpected way. Now, the well-respected but oft-maligned band is getting its revenge, because Modest Mouse's new album, We Read more