The last few articles have really destroyed the illusion of professionalism, sounding more like the ramblings on some kid’s personal blog about nothing. And, here we continue.

Regardless of it all, I was pretty fucking excited about what I got in the mail the other day; I had been lucky enough to find a cheap copy of Modest Mouse’s very first EP/7" vinyl release on-line. Blue Cadet-3, Do You Connect? was recorded in 1994 by Dub Narcotic Studios for K Records, who only pressed 300 copies. With 5 songs running for a grand 7:34, it’s by far their shortest non-single record. And it’s also one of their best.

There is something perfect about the length and song selection, especially considering that two songs make up 5:25 out of the total seven and a half. Its a miniature album, one that must be repeated to catch all the details.

Other interesting things: 3 out of 5 songs are Isaac Brock solo pieces, and 2 of those, “Woodgrain” and “5,4,3,2,1… Lisp Off” were recorded on the Dial-A-Song answering machine, remaining as a couple of the only surviving examples of this period in his career.

Also, the art is great. I especially love the moon and stars on the inside, symbols that continue to reoccur throughout his work.

Here are some quick snapshots I took with Erika’s digital. I promise to take better pictures and replace these soon.