Subject to its own Pitchfork documentary, listed in numerous prestigious Best Albums Of The 90s lists and destined to be re-discovered by continuous generations, ‰Û÷The Lonesome Crowded West‰۪ stands as the defacto Northwest indie-rock record.
Originally released in 1997, it not only helped shape the sound that came to be associated with the American Pacific Northwest but across these sprawling, wide-open 15 songs, Modest Mouse helped redefine what was possible for guitar music.
‰Û÷The Lonesome Crowded West‰۪ has often been mimicked but its awesome open-hearted existentialism and manic ambition has rarely been matched. A modern classic that demands reappraisal.