Digital Noise is Cnet’s popular digital music distribution blog which is edited by Matt Rosoff. Matt is based in Seattle and yesterday he noticed some crazy happenings when his computer fell off his table.
A couple of minutes ago, as I sat at my computer in my home office–windows closed against the sudden fall weather–I was roused by the telltale rumble of rock music coming from somewhere nearby. I live in a pretty boring neighbourhood, and the summer party season seemed to be over, so I chalked it up to the bar a few blocks away, although I usually don’t hear music coming from there until closing time. It was only 10:15 p.m.
I walked outside and listened, trying to identify the song. The bass and kick drum were clear, and occasionally I heard a higher-pitched noise that could have been a guitar or keyboard. Then it stopped for a few seconds and a different bassline came on. I immediately recognized Modest Mouse’s “Tiny Cities Made of Ashes” (listen and you’ll understand how).
It’s not a neighbour, or the bar down the street. Modest Mouse is currently closing out Bumbershoot, Seattle’s annual three-day music festival, at an outdoor arena called Memorial Stadium, which is located about two miles away (according to Bing maps) with two large hills and a lake in between.
A new music video that was directed by the late actor Heath Ledger for the Modest Mouse song “King Rat” will premier online today. Ledger presented Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse with an idea to direct a video back in January 2007 while in Australia. Ledger’s intention for the video’s theme was to raise awareness about the issue of whales that are hunted down illegally for commercial purposes off the coast of Australia each year.
The video was fully conceived down to the last detail but unfinished when Heath passed away in January of 2008. The video company The Masses (a film and music company which Heath was a partner in), completed the video in his honor with the full support of Brock.
Proceeds from iTunes video downloads in the first month of release will go toward Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, an international non-profit, marine wildlife conservation organization organization committed to ending the destruction of habitat and slaughter of wildlife in the world’s oceans in order to conserve and protect ecosystems and species.
Jangly, jarring tunes over uncomfortable electronic backgrounds somehow come together as a coherent and listenable whole, and then give way to slow, gentle guitars and violins and spoken samples. Something like Modest Mouse making an album with Boards Of Canada when they were feeling nice and relaxed one weekend round at Lemon Jelly’s house. Despite the awkward bits in this album, I somehow get the feeling that someone nearby was making a blackberry and apple crumble they were all going to enjoy once the recording session was over. Especially on this track:
<– Buy it on iTunes