No One's First, and You're Next

iTunes Review

As they’ve done before with Building Nothing Out of Something and Everywhere and His Nasty Parlor Tricks, No One’s First, and You’re Next is a collection of previously issued material. Gathering eight B-sides and sundry odds and ends from the past two releases (Good News for People Who Love Bad News and We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank) this retrospective contains some gems that no Modest Mouse fan should be without. Though the songs were recorded over the span of several years, the set doesn’t sound disjointed. Instead, it offers a fascinating look at the band’s range and evolution as well as further proof of Isaac Brock’s restless songwriting brilliance. There’s the quirky pop of “Satellite Skin” and the surreal, banjo-driven “King Rat,” the woozy sing-along “Perpetual Motion Machine” from the Good News sessions with horns by the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, and the melodic “I’ve Got it All (Most).” The album only runs about 33 minutes yet still feels substantial.