Modest Mouse extends tour, plans EP release

Alt-rockers Modest Mouse will release a new EP next month, "No One's First, and You're Next," that collects all of the band's recent limited-edition singles, along with other material.

The Pacific Northwest-based crew has also added a few dates to its impending tour slate, which kicks off Aug. 17 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The biggest addition is a three-night stretch in Portland, OR, beginning Sept. 21. The engagement follows the group's Sept 20 appearance at the NorthWest Music Festival, also in Portland. Dates are shown below.

"No One's First, and You're Next" is due in stores Aug. 4. The eight-track EP features six songs which were recently released as limited edition 7" singles, including "Satellite Skin," which surfaced in May, and last month's "Autumn Beds," as well as "King Rat," which was previously available only as a limited edition promo-only single, and "I've Got It All (Most)," which was the b-side to the band's 2004 "Float On" single.

A video for "Satellite Skin," directed by frequent Tool collaborator Kevin Willis, is currently streaming at the group's YouTube mini-site. Additionally, the band plans to soon release a video for "King Rat," directed by actor Heath Ledger before his death early last year. No specific release date has been set for the video, which features animation by Terry Gilliam ("Brazil," "Twelve Monkeys").

The group's most recent full-length studio album, "We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank," surfaced in early 2007 and debuted atop The Billboard 200. "We Were Dead ..." followed 2004's "Good News for People Who Love Bad News," the band's first platinum-certified album, featuring the hit single "Float On."