Photo: Press
Modest Mouse never arrived at where they are today as a consequence of compromise. Always a fiercely self-minded outfit, never quite seeming to fit in even when sailing close to the mainstream, they have somehow triumphed where many others have failed by simply hugging their philosophy closely and spitting at any potential threats to their existence.
So it transpires on Strangers to Ourselves – Modest Mouse’s sixth and arguably most sprawling album – crammed haphazardly with unpredictable boxes, bundles and ragged edges. Simultaneously displaying their most laudable and frustrating traits together, it is frequently magnificent, occasionally infuriating but ultimately rewarding.
Where the record works most is when the band marry their collective energies and sonic ambition to coherent melodicism, as with the death disco tumult 'The Ground Walks, With Time in a Box’, the rolling call-and-response storm of 'Be Brave' and 'Lampshades on Fire’s ever-shifting seasick struggle for internal superiority. Where they fare less well is when they strip everything back – 'Coyotes' struggles to fully assert itself and 'Ansel' is pretty without necessarily driving home anything meaningful.
Below: Stream Strangers to Ourselves by Modest Mouse
The standout however, is the magnificently deranged Tom Waits ghost-train cacophony of 'Sugar Boats' – a carnival of stunning and baffling invention and chaos that sucks you in and spits you out dizzied and unbalanced. Sadly, such brilliance is tempered by the woeful 'Pistol (A. Cunanan, Miami, FL. 1996)' – an awkward, grating attempt at white boy funk complete with clunking sexual imagery. But even out of such blatant missteps, you still approve the band for trying something unique and different, as if they’d rather fail spectacularly than simply settle for the mediocre, the bland, the predictable.
For a band accused (incorrectly) of selling out in recent years, they’re clearly not prepared to relax into middle age. There’s a sense in the final quarter that judicious editing would have resulted in a more coherent and effective end to proceedings (‘The Tortoise and the Tourist’ never quite fulfils its initial promise and ‘The Best Room’ is largely forgettable) but they retain the good grace to end gloriously with the ethereal introspection of ‘Of Course’ - turning the album around cyclically to where they came in an hour earlier. The impression nags that Modest Mouse have tired of being everyone’s favourite indie underground crossover and that this record is a deliberate attempt to distance themselves from that. Without any noticeable heavy-hitting singles such as ‘Float on’ or ‘Dashboard’, you’d feel such attempts may succeed.
Below: Listen to 'Of Course We Know' by Modest Mouse
Despite the flaws, the sheer ambition and experimentation – that will not to be pigeonholed – is what carries the record through. It may not be perfect, but it’s fascinating. It may not be cohesive, but it’s always compelling. And in that sense, the creation perfectly matches the creators. Modest Mouse have earned the right to exercise their idiosyncrasies whichever way they see fit. Long should we celebrate their tenacious enterprise.
Modest Mouse Strangers to Ourselves (Columbia) is out now. As well as performing at T In The Park and Calling festival, the band recently announced a UK tour. For tickets see below.
