Sharpen Your Teeth
by Ugly Casanova
  • Record Label: Sub Pop
  • Release Date: May 21, 2002
User Score
8.2

Universal acclaim- based on 13 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 13
  3. Negative: 2 out of 13

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  1. AndrewK
    Aug 3, 2007
    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.
  2. DaveB
    Oct 3, 2003
    10
    With the exception of "Beesting," this is, without a doubt, an album worth buying and listening to over and over again. Isaac Brock at his most drunken and at his best.
  3. ryanm
    May 18, 2003
    10
    strangely beautiful...and it is still growing on me... a superb musicianship...
  4. KellyWalrus
    Mar 7, 2005
    10
    Simply amazing... I've just found this album and have fallen in love.
  5. ATMmcinstuff
    May 9, 2005
    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.
  6. BrandonS
    Feb 12, 2006
    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 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.… Expand
  7. TimB
    Jul 16, 2003
    9
    Do you like Modest Mouse? If so, you might like this. No guarantees, however. As usual, Isaac Brock isn't going to make things to easy for you. The first track ("Barnacles") sounds like classic MM, but the second ("Spilled Milk Factory") veers abruptly into another realm, and by the time the nearly-sixteen-minute-long third track ends, you'll likely be wondering what sort of Do you like Modest Mouse? If so, you might like this. No guarantees, however. As usual, Isaac Brock isn't going to make things to easy for you. The first track ("Barnacles") sounds like classic MM, but the second ("Spilled Milk Factory") veers abruptly into another realm, and by the time the nearly-sixteen-minute-long third track ends, you'll likely be wondering what sort of controlled substances were involved in the construction of this album. A variety of rhythm-focused tracks (all of which will pop into your head while you're trying to do other things) fill out much of the very enjoyable remainder of the album, with a few interludes, which are also wonderful. If I weren't so lazy, I'd describe them in more detail. The next-to-final track "Things I Don't Remember" is one you will certainly remember -- it's arguably the highlight of the album and a brilliant closing track. (The next track, "So Long to the Holidays" simply fails to impress me quite as much.) This album is not a Modest Mouse release, but it's no less brilliant and no less than we'd expect from Mr. Brock.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

46
#46 Best Album of 2002

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 10 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 10
  3. Negative: 1 out of 10
  1. Q Magazine
    80
    An oddity for sure, but much too good to be restricted to specialist alt-rock record retailers. [July 2002, p.122]
  2. 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.
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  3. Pitchfork
    73
    The collaborative nature of Sharpen Your Teeth, of course, yields a few missteps.... There are some damn fine moments here, though.
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