Sad Sappy Sucker

Rate It! Avg: 3.5 (97 ratings)
Sad Sappy Sucker album cover
Album Information

Total Tracks: 24   Total Length: 35:23

eMusic Review 0

Avatar Image
Douglas Wolk

eMusic Contributor

Douglas Wolk writes about pop music and comic books for Time, the New York Times, Rolling Stone, Wired and elsewhere. He's the author of Reading Comics: How Gra...more »

12.09.09
Modest Mouse, Sad Sappy Sucker
Label: Glacial Pace Recordings / SC Distribution

Back in 1994, Modest Mouse were teenagers with an itch for the road and a bunch of prickly, bone-dry tunes. Besides its brief but complete songs (there's a long but definite path from "Worms Vs. Birds" to "Float On"), this set includes some even shorter "dial-a-song" sketches made by Isaac Brock on his own.

Write a Review 1 Member Review

Please register before you review a release. Register

user avatar

almost a different band entirely...

RockstheCasbah

...from the one you hear on the radio these days, but don't let that scare you away. These early recordings capture a sense of fun in making music which is infectious.

Recommended Albums

They Say All Music Guide

Sad Sappy Sucker is Modest Mouse’s “lost album.” It was recorded by K Records’ Calvin Johnson in 1994 and was supposed to be the band’s debut, but delays shelved the record and it disappeared. The 2001 release of Sad Sappy Sucker gives fans an opportunity to see the humble beginnings of one of the Pacific Northwest’s most original bands. All 12 songs recorded during the Dub Narcotic Studio sessions are on the album, including the impossible to find Worms Vs. Birds 7″. As a bonus treat, there are nine songs from Isaac Brock’s Dial-a-Song project. These were on his answering machine every day and could only be heard by calling in. The thick textures, crazy drawl vocals, and grand flair of later Modest Mouse albums such as The Lonesome Crowded West and The Moon & Antarctica are not fully realized on Sad Sappy Sucker. But Modest Mouse’s future suburban sprawl is evident in the chug-chug of “From Point A to Point B” and the slow/fast groove of “Race Car Grin You Ain’t No Landmark.” On the latter, Brock sings, “Looks like accounting’s not accountable for anything or anyone at all.” But Sad Sappy Sucker is no case of a “reissue, repackage, repackage” revenue scheme, this album is a gift for die-hard fans, put out by a label that probably loves Modest Mouse as much as the fans do. – Charles Spano

more »

Activity

  • 04.24.12 Handful of new summer dates up that go on-sale this week. Check the link for more details: http://t.co/klnuXh82
  • 04.09.12 New show at Stanford Univ on May 19 just added. Student pre-sale begins April 16, public on-sale April 23. http://t.co/FeIHg0ur
  • 03.02.12 Check out the teaser video for @festival72810 that we are playing on Mar 10 that includes info on where to get tickets! http://t.co/ulpekH3O
  • 02.21.12 Just announced- we're playing @GovBallNYC Music Fest on June 24 on Randall's Island, NY. More info and full lineup: http://t.co/9zqwSeeO
  • 02.07.12 We're playing Orion Music + More in Atlantic City, NJ June 23 curated by METALLICA! http://t.co/o5DnsGTW
  • 01.09.12 Tickets for the Jan 25 show at the Warfield in SF that were to be released at 10AM PT are slightly delayed http://t.co/lDxlGMrK
  • 01.06.12 March 10 we are performing at Festival 72810 @albinomx in Mexico http://t.co/BxigF04X
  • 12.16.11 Pre-sale for the MacWorld kickoff show is now SOLD OUT. Thanks!
  • 12.16.11 Pre-sale for show in SF on Jan 25 begins today at 10AM PST. The password is "macworld" all lower case. http://t.co/tV1YsBGR
  • 12.06.11 Playing the MacWorld opening party at the Warfield in SF on Jan 25. Limited tickets for fans available Dec 16. More info will be tweeted
  • 11.12.11 Austin and Dallas thank you for 3 great evenings w/ @Talkdemonic! Sao Paulo here we come!
  • 11.11.11 door are opening now! “@bens_the_best: @palladiumball already has a line going to bills records waiting to get into @modestmouseband”