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Sharpen Your Teeth - Ugly Casanova
Metascore
80 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 10 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 10
  3. Negative: 1 out of 10
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  1. Mojo
    90
    An extraordinary album. [Aug 2002, p.95]
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  2. Uncut
    80
    Terrific stuff. [Aug 2002, p.122]
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  3. All Music Guide
    80
    Cuts into raw indie rock with spells of country and folk, while allowing Brock to explore a varying scope of sounds.
  4. Q Magazine
    80
    An oddity for sure, but much too good to be restricted to specialist alt-rock record retailers. [July 2002, p.122]
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  5. Splendid
    80
    An excellent and memorable album.
  6. The A.V. Club
    80
    Neither Modest Mouse Redux nor off-putting side-project indulgence, Sharpen Your Teeth is a small but effective stretch for a songwriter with a seemingly inexhaustible supply of great ideas.
  7. Pitchfork
    73
    The collaborative nature of Sharpen Your Teeth, of course, yields a few missteps.... There are some damn fine moments here, though.
  8. CultureDose.net
    70
    The same studio experimentation that makes much of Ugly Casanova's music interesting also results in a handful of throwaway tracks enough to prevent Sharpen Your Teeth from becoming a wholly cohesive album.
  9. E! Online
    67
    A just-okay collection of mellow ruminations that, at its best, recalls Tom Waits' Bone Machine, and, at its worst, sounds like indie rock's answer to James Taylor.
  10. Drawer B
    20
    If you take Sharpen Your Teeth as the superfluous wank-off side-project that it is, you won’t be as offended by its utter lack of imagination and artistry.
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User Reviews

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User Score
8.3 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 12 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
  1. AndrewK
    10
    This is an excellent CD, excellent band. Isaac Brock is at his best. I enjoyed this CD more than most Modest Mouse CDs excluding The Moon & Antarctica.… Full Review »
  2. BrandonS
    10
    I really can't see how anyone who's given this CD a sit down could find it anything but amazing. Even those who are unseasoned with Isaac Brock will have to enjoy this trip into a calm but confusing world painted in beautiful harmonics and etching tones. There are 2 poles to this record, as apparent after the first 2 songs on the album. The melodic and catchy "Barnicles" is arguably my favorite song to date. This is followed up by a far more harsh, almost frightening "spilled milk factory" that reminds all of us that this band is a side project of Modest Mouse's lead singer. The rest of the album plays between these 2 poles, and does it amazingly well. This album, like The Moon and Antarctica, is a masterpiece as a whole. It's almost required that you listen to this CD with randomize off. The memorable tunes to this masterpiece include Hotcha Girls, a playful summertime melody, Ice On The Sheets, a very moving and progressive song that gives the listener a sense of accomplishment, and the amazing Parasites, a look into a more characteristic theme of death and the afterlife Isaac adores so much. Standing alone, the song "Things I Don't Remember" shines in a way that makes me hope we will hear another album from this project in the future. For the Modest Mouse fan, Ugly Casinova is a fresh feeling pop experience that can only enhance your love of Modest Mouse. All in all, this is an excelent album that deserves more attention then it's given.… Full Review »
  3. ATMmcinstuff
    10
    i love ugly casanova. its a dark menacing version of modest mouse. if you feel like listening to a cheerier isaac brock (as cheery as brock can be) , you can throw in sharpen your teeth.… Full Review »
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