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.

Bumbershoot2009