Jeremiah Green still proves himself to be one of indie rock's best drummers, even this early on in the game. And strangely, Brock uses his accordion a lot more than usual on both the Dial-a-Songs and the album itself. Sometimes the Pixies influence shines straight through even here, though, like on 'Red Hand Case,' which features a bluesy progression and quirky, screeching vocals. The structures are less varied, not as tight, and more laid back, with simple, catchy, guitar-pickin' hooks and a healthy, upbeat groove. Listener #1: The early form of the group seems to owe more to Archers of Loaf than the Pixies. I can't say this record has helped me warm up to it, and I probably would have hated it more if I'd heard this record before the others. It's like they got a tone-deaf retarded guy who's missing teeth to sing for them.

Listener #2: Naturally, I hate the guy's voice. But the shaky, always slightly aggressive quality of his voice has always appealed to me. And on this early record, he definitely sounds younger and more, well. Listener #1: This seems to be the decision point for those who are on the fence about whether they enjoy the band or not. Listener #3: Am I in the wrong room? I think I'm supposed to be hearing the new G. The second half is about nine minutes of tracks recorded for Brock's amateur Dial-a-Song service in the same time period. The first half of the newly issued Sad Sappy Sucker consists of the original album, which runs at about 27 minutes. By that time, the lineup had removed Gallucci on second guitar and replaced John Wickhart with Eric Judy on bass. It was shelved in favor of 1996's This is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About. Sad Sappy Sucker was their debut album, recorded over this time period by Calvin Johnson at Dub Narcotic, but never released until now. Fact Sheet: Modest Mouse in 1994-95 consisted of Isaac Brock on vocals and guitar, Dan Gallucci on guitar, John Wickhart on bass, and Jeremiah Green on drums.

Modest mouse im still here