# Ears To The Music, Vol. VII – Built To Spill, Modest Mouse, Pearl Jam, Clues, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Paramore & More

- Link: https://indierockcafe.com/2009/10/ears-to-the-music-vol-vii-built-to-spill-modest-mouse-pearl-jam-clues-cymbals-eat-guitars-paramore-more/
- Published: 2009-10-16T02:55:00-04:00
- Author: Max Hammer

Indie rock legends [Built to Spill ](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/builttospill)
are back in a big way with their new LP, There Is No Enemy, which dropped last week.
More than three years in the making, the album is a surprisingly impressive release;
not to say they couldn’t do it, but just that they have been seemingly drifting 
for years without a solid new record.

Doug Martsch lyrics have never been more personal: Like anyone assuming they know
what makes us tick/I was just as wrong as I could be – from “Tomorrow”; occasionally
bitter: Stay out of my nightmares, stay out of my dreams/ You’re not even welcome
in my memories – from “Things Fall Apart”; and, provocatively soul-searching: And
if God does exist/I am sure He will forgive/Me for doubting Him/For He’d see/How
unlikely He/Made Himself seem – from “Oh Yeah.”

Additionally, the brilliant layering of spacious and tangled guitar jams (most evident
on “Tomorrow” and “Good Ole’ Boredom”) and a propensity for fractured song formats–
cornerstones of BTS’s music since their beginning – sound better than ever. There
are many memorable, enthralling and enjoyable moments on this LP, including crowd
pleasers like “Aisle 13” and “Hindsight,” as well as the remarkably beautiful ballads,“
Life’s A Dream” and “Nowhere Lullabye.” Every track on this album is a keeper. Seriously.

When we got a preview of some of the new BTS material at this year’s Outside Lands
Festival, we were really impressed, but had no idea that There Is No Enemy would
be this amazing. This album is yet another masterpiece from one of indie rock’s 
truly iconic bands.

Available since August, indie rock pioneers [Modest Mouse](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/modestmouse)‘
s newest release, No One’s First, And You’re Next, is a collection of eight songs
that date back to 2004, and therefore can’t really be called the follow up LP to
the successful, and widely praised, We Were Dead Even Before the Ship Sank, released
in 2007.

Related Post:  Ears To The Music, VI: The Dead Weather, Nirvana, Hopewell, Langhorne
Slim, Bamboo Shoots, Fol Chen & More

Many of the songs from No One’s First have been released over the years, including
the darkly bizarre, “King Rat,” which the late Heath Ledger directed the video for.
And yet the EP holds up as the newest offering from the band, proving Modest Mouse
haven’t abandoned their quirky, yet strangely cool, song crafting, like on the fuzzy
guitar jam, “History Sticks to Your Feet”; the blistering riffs of “The Whale Song”;
and, the mostly spoken and shouted lyrics of “Guilty Cocker Spaniels.” The band 
also present the respectable alt-country melodies of “Autumn Beds”; catchy songs
meant to be singles – “Satellite Skin“; and even mix it up Dixie-style with the 
return of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band on “Perpetual Motion Machine.”

 

 

[“The Whale Song”](http://www.vaguespace.net/files/04-the-whale-song.mp3) – Modest
Mouse from No One’s First, And You’re Next (2009)
 “Autumn Beds” – Modest Mouse 
from No One’s First, And You’re Next (2009) “History Sticks to Your Feet” – Modest
Mouse from No One’s First, And You’re Next (2009)

Despite their iconic stature in the world of hard rock, Pearl Jam‘s latest album,
Backspacer, has received mostly lukewarm to poor reviews for one of the biggest 
rock bands of the past two decades. The common criticism, and one that is easy to
latch on to, is that Backspacer is driven by, and dependent on, blazing formulated
guitar riffs and Eddie Vedder‘s less than impressive vocal delivery (not sure who’s
to blame for that).

The major problem with Backspacer is that it’s unimaginative; there’s really nothing
new here that makes us sit up and say, ‘Wow, this is great.’ PJ fans, of any age,
will likely cherry pick their own keeper songs from the LP, like “Gonna See My Friend,”
the ballad-like cut “Just Breathe,” or the acceptable “Amongst The Waves.” But, 
for now, we’ll relish in the classic PJ albums of the past (i.e., Ten) and hope 
that PJ can come up with something better next time. Backspacer proves the band 
can still rock; it just appears they’ve run out of ideas.

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Mission of Burma, Land of Talk, The Very Most & More

“The Fixer” – Pearl Jam from Backspacer (2009)

Next, what happens when former members of Arcade Fire, Unicorns, and Think About
Life start a band? Well, you get the [Clues](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/Clues_%28band%29),
the latest Montreal buzz band that creates a big sound that mixes grinding guitar
rock jams, melodic pop sound scapes and the falsetto-like vocals of frontman Alden
Penner.

Also, check out new songs from Staten Island‘s experimental pop band [Cymbals Eat Guitars](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/cymbalseatguitars1);
the phenomenally popular band, [Paramore](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/paramore);
Jersey City‘s retro-pop rock group The Black Hollies; Edinburgh‘s eclectic [Meursault](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/meursaulta701);
London‘s hugely successful indie rock band, [The Horrors](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/thehorrors);
Brooklyn‘s electro-acoustic musician Argyle Johansen; the self-described Seattle‘
ghettotech’ blues band [Black Whales](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/blackwhales);
Mexico‘s grunge meets Britpop group [Rubik](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/rubik);
Canada‘s pop soul band [The Rest](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/therestband1);
Minneapolis‘ psychedelic pop band [Velvet Davenport](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/velvetdavenport);
the gorgeous pop of Detroit‘s [The Silent Years](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/thesilentyears),
and the UK‘s folk rock band [Low La Love](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/lowlalove)(
abbreviated for practical reasons).

“Perfect Fit” – Clues from s/t debut (2009)
 Double-shot: [“Cave Mouth”](http://tapasntapas.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/Clues-Cave_Mouth.mp3)–
Clues from s/t debut (2009)

“What Dogs See” – Cymbals Eat Guitars from Why There Are Mountains (2009)

“Brick By Boring Brick” – Paramore from Brand New Eyes (2009)

[“Gloomy Monday Morning”](http://www.ernestjenning.com/newhollies/gloomymondaymorning.mp3)–
The Black Hollies from Softly Towards The Light (2009)

“Nothing Broke” – Meursault from Nothing Broke EP (2009)

“Sea Within A Sea” – The Horrors from Primary Colours (2009)

“A Sunny Day in Hell” – Argyle Johansen from s/t debut (2009)

“Books on Tape” – Black Whales from Origins (2009)

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Elvis Perkins, A Sunny Day in Glasgow & More!

“Wasteland” – Rubik from Dada Bandits (2009)

“With Every Heartbeat” (Robyn cover) – The Rest from The Cried Wolf Book (2009)

“Lemon Drop Square Box” – Velvet Davenport from Lemon Drop Square Box (2009)

“Taking Drugs at the Amusement Park” – The Silent Years from Let Go (2009)

[“Blackbird 3” ](http://www.other-electricities.com/DL/blackbird3.mp3)– Low Low 
Low La La La Love Love Love from from _Feels, Feathers, Bog and Bees (2009)_

Check out all of the [ETM playlists](https://indierockcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/Ears%20To%20The%20Music1.html),
featuring the best in new indie and alternative rock.

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