Modest Mouse – Strangers To Ourselves

Remember Modest Mouse?...
Modest Mouse : Strangers To Ourselves
7.3 Epic
2015 

Modest Mouse : Strangers To Ourselves

More

Click here for photos of Modest Mouse at 2018 Float Fest in San Marcos, TX in the QRO Concert Photo Gallery

Click here for photos of Modest Mouse at The Roxy in Atlanta, GA on September 10th, 2017 in the QRO Concert Photo Gallery

Click here for photos of Modest Mouse at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY on July 14th, 2016 in the QRO Concert Photo Gallery

Click here for photos of Modest Mouse at Chastain Park Amphitheater in Atlanta, GA on July 10th, 2016 in the QRO Concert Photo Gallery

Click here for photos of Modest Mouse at Prospect Park Bandshell in Brooklyn, NY on July 22nd, 2015 in the QRO Concert Photo Gallery

Click here for photos of Modest Mouse at 2014 Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin, TX in the QRO Concert Photo Gallery

Click here for photos of Modest Mouse at 2014 Project Pabst in Portland, OR in the QRO Concert Photo Gallery

Click here for photos of Modest Mouse at 2014 Boston Calling in Boston, MA in the QRO Concert Photo Gallery

Click here for photos of Modest Mouse at 2012 Governors Ball in New York, NY in the QRO Concert Photo Gallery

Click here for photos of Modest Mouse at Stubb’s in Austin, TX on November 8th, 2011 in the QRO Concert Photo Gallery

Click here for photos of Modest Mouse at 2010 Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago, IL in the QRO Concert Photo Gallery

Click here for photos of Modest Mouse at 2009 Music Fest NW in Portland, OR in the QRO Photo Gallery

Click here for photos of Modest Mouse at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY on June 19th, 2008 in the QRO Photo Gallery

Remember Modest Mouse? The Pacific Northwest indie act had critical acclaim in the nineties before moving to a major label in this century/millennium and finding commercial success. 2004’s Good News For People Who Love Bad News was, for many, an alt-breakthrough on the level of The Strokes’ Is This It or Arcade Fire’s Funeral. 2007 saw them follow that up with We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank (QRO review), and then… nothing. Well, Johnny Marr of The Smith joined the band & left (for The Cribs, then a solo career – QRO solo live review). There were numerous reissues of earlier records, and they managed to still sell big venues & headline festivals (QRO photos headlining a recent festival), but nothing new until now. Is Strangers To Ourselves worth the entire wait? Well, that would be hard, despite its overstuffed nature, but it certainly sees Modest Mouse being Modest Mouse – and more.

At fifteen tracks (with rumors of second album’s worth of material ready to go as well), Strangers certainly brings a lot of music to answer the long hiatus. Mostly, it traffics in the energetic, somewhat dark disjointedness that put Modest Mouse on the map, while also trying to do more with that. “Lampshades On Fire” is ‘straight’ MM, while the following “Shit In Your Cut” is slower, “Ansel” relaxed & brighter, there’s a strong pressure to “The Ground Walks, With Time In a Box”, a natural element to “Coyotes”, almost country “Pups to Dust”, a more aggressive “The Tortoise and the Tourist”, and a hopping “The Best Room”.

But with fifteen songs, there’s also room for more, but largely to lesser effect. “Wicked Campaign” is some nice bright synths, and “God Is an Indian and You’re an Asshole” a decent country jam diversion. But on “Sugar Boats” Modest Mouse randomly channel another MM, the Viking-vaudeville Man Man (QRO live review), while “Pistol (A. Cunanan, Miami, Fl. 1996)” is some utterly unnecessary mock-overdone beats & voices that don’t even justify writing out that full title. And the record’s got a (re-)introduction & goodbye at the start & finish, “Strangers To Ourselves” & “Of Course We Know”.

After all this time, it’s impressive that Modest Mouse have been able to stay relevant and desired, and it’s no wonder that the group wants to do more than just release another Modest Mouse album. And even if they probably should have just stuck to themselves, Strangers To Ourselves is a definite return of an important twenty-first century alternative act.

Categories
Album Reviews
Album of the Week