Phil Ek

Documentary about the indie rock band Modest Mouse made around 1997, as they were recording their second album, The Lonseome Crowded West

Directed by RJ Bentler as part of the "Pitchfork Classic" series, Pitchfork.tv presents a 45-minute documentary on Modest Mouse's classic 1997 album The Lonesome Crowded West. For the film, Pitchfork.tv traveled to Los Angeles, London, and cities across the Pacific Northwest (Portland, Seattle, Olympia, Port Townsend) to discuss the making of the album with everyone from frontman Isaac Brock to Calvin Johnson and producer Phil Ek. We learned the album's story back to front, including the fact that halfway through its recording, Ek was called in to rerecord three songs from the original sessions.

Seattle’s swampy rivers and wild forests set an atmospheric scene for the tale of Earth – the slowest metal band on earth – which created the drone metal genre, was an inspiration to the grunge rock scene and had an unfortunate hand in Kurt Cobain’s death.