Modest Mouse to reissue first two albums with unreleased music

Depending on which way you look at it, this is either salt in the wounds or a nice stopgap: Seven years removed from their most recent album, Modest Mouse, have announced plans to re-release their first two LPs. Vinyl reissues of 1996’s This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About and 1997’s The Lonesome Crowded West will be released October 28th and November 4th, respectively, through frontman Isaac Brock’s personal imprint Glacial Pace in conjunction with Fat Possum Records.

Both reissues come in the form of double LPs pressed on 180-gram vinyl. It marks the first time these albums have been available on vinyl in over a decade.

To go along with the reissues, the band is prepping a pair of 7-inch singles with unreleased material from these albums’ recording sessions. This Is a Long Drive 7-inch includes an early version of “White Lies, Yellow Teeth” (streaming below) and “Buttons to Push the Buttons” from the band’s Interstate 8 EP. The Lonesome Crowded West 7-inch, meanwhile, includes the B-side “Too Many Fiestas for Reuben” and a version of “Cowboy Dan” recorded with K Records founder and Lonesome Crowded West producer Calvin Johnson.

Below, revisit highlights from This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About and The Lonesome Crowded West.

“Dramamine”

“Convenient Parking”