Pitchfork: Mark Kozelek Records Modest Mouse Covers Album

Mark Kozelek Records Modest Mouse Covers Album

Usually, if you're going to do an album of covers, they're going to be standards-- Elvis, the Beatles, Sinatra, etc. Besides, it's not too often that someone releases an album comprised entirely of songs written by another artist, let alone an artist that has been music for less time than you have. According to Billboard.com, Red House Painters/Sun Kil Moon frontman Mark Kozelek is preparing an album of Modest Mouse covers. Although Kozelek won't be the first to cover Modest Mouse (Kidz Bop and Ben Lee beat you to it, Mark), he'll certainly be the first to release a full disc of 'em.****EDITOR'S NOTE: A reader just informed us of the existence of Pickin� on Modest Mouse, a bluegrass tribute album by the Alabama band Iron Horse. Pitchfork stands corrected... and in complete awe of these people.****

Kozelek seems to have a knack for fucking around with other people's work. In 2001, he released What's Next to the Moon, a collection of AC/DC covers. You'd think all this covering was a case of lazy songwriting, but Kozelek completely rearranges the songs, often leaving the lyrics as the only recognizable trace.

The Modest Mouse disc, titled Tiny Cities will be the first release on Kozelek�s own Caldo Verde label, and it will be attributed to Sun Kil Moon. The songs have been selected from all over the Modest Mouse catalogue, including 2004's Good News For People Who Love Bad News.< Billboard says that the slowcore god �injects a sense of optimism into �Neverending Math Equation� and strips the modern rock hit �Ocean Breathes Salty� down to its inherent bittersweet reflections on past and present.�

The album is due November 1 in North America, and will be released internationally by Rough Trade. Also, Cameron Crowe's Vinyl Films will handle-- you guessed it!-- the vinyl version, which will include an alternate version of "Exit Does Not Exist." You might wonder what the indie rocker and the Almost Famous writer/director have to do with each other. Well, Kozelek played the bassist in that movie's fictional band, Stillwater, and several of his songs have appeared on Crowe soundtracks.

We wanted to reach Isaac Brock for comment, but we're scared of him. Tracklist:

01 Exit Does Not Exist
02 Tiny Cities Made of Ashes
03 Neverending Math Equation
04 Space Travel Is Boring
05 Dramamine
06 Jesus Christ Was an Only Child
07 Four Fingered Fisherman
08 Grey Ice Water
09 Convenient Parking
10 Trucker's Atlas
11 Ocean Breathes Salty

As previously reported, Kozelek is currently on tour with Low frontman Alan Sparhawk under the name Retribution Gospel Choir. His website recently announced his intention to sell �a few favorite guitars� to benefit the victims of Hurricane Katrina, as soon as he returns. RGC dates:

09-07 Los Angeles, CA - Spaceland *
09-08 Costa Mesa, CA - Detroit *
09-09 Pioneertown, CA - Pappy and Harriet's Pioneertown Palace (Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven Camp Out)$
09-10 Tucson, AZ - Plush *
09-12 Denton, TX - Hailey's *
09-13 Austin, TX - Emo's *
09-14 Houston, TX - Mary Jane's Fat Cat *
09-17 New York, NY - Lit Lounge (Chairkickers' CMJ showcase) *#

* with No Wait Wait
$ with Cracker, Camper Van Beethoven, Monks of Doom, Johnny Hickman
# Retribution Gospel Choir minus Mark Kozelek, with Kid Dakota, The Keep Aways

href="http://pitchforkmedia.com/news/05-08/11.shtml#sparhawk">Alan Sparhawk, Mark Kozelek Are Retribution Gospel Choir