The album’s real heart, though, is in the spots where Brock lets his eccentricities run wild. “Pistol (A. Cunanan, Miami, FL. 1996)” is named for the man who murdered Gianni Versace, and is as deeply creepy as its subject matter. It’s as strange as “Lampshades” is accessible, a tricky move pulled off expertly, and proof that the band’s found a vital second wind.
Fans will be relieved that after such a protracted labour Strangers To Ourselves has emerged in surprisingly good shape, even if it lacks the robust conviction of Modest Mouse’s best work.
It’s nuanced and complex, yet it feels easy, and its originality is an antidote to the kind of mainstream corporate swill that passes for “indie” rock these days.
Here they sound like they’ve settled into their status as a reliable indie rock institution. Strangers to Ourselves is a pleasant album, and one that completes their transition from "inspired" to "sturdy".
What’s frustrating about Strangers to Ourselves is that Modest Mouse doesn’t need to wander so far afield on it, not when doing what they do best still works well here.
Songs you'd expect to swell and boil over--which is what Modest Mouse are good at--often end up trudging humourlessly (Ansel, Be Brave), and things get far worse in the moments where humour is actually the goal.
This is another great Modest Mouse album. You may need to listen more than once before you really begin to enjoy some of the songs. I thinkThis is another great Modest Mouse album. You may need to listen more than once before you really begin to enjoy some of the songs. I think it was worth the wait.…Expand
This album is great, just like the rest of their albums. Don't fall for the early reviews saying that it's bad, let it sink in and you'llThis album is great, just like the rest of their albums. Don't fall for the early reviews saying that it's bad, let it sink in and you'll realize that it's just as great as all of the rest of the Modest Mouse albums.
Can't wait for the follow up album later this year or early next year.…Expand
It's always funny to watch reviewers scramble to make heads or tails of a slow burner like this on the day after it comes out. Notice thatIt's always funny to watch reviewers scramble to make heads or tails of a slow burner like this on the day after it comes out. Notice that everyone seems to be in agreement that the album is pretty good but no two people can say which are the best tracks or which one is unequivocal failure. "Pistol?? That's so unlike them to sound so trashy. Sugar Boats is a demented haunted carnival ride! Where's the Modest Mouse that made such radio friendly singles as Float On or Missed the Boat." And the best track? Is it Ansel, Coyote, Best room, Lampshades, The Ground Walks!?! Well I got news for y'all, it's one of the best Modest Mouse albums ever and for the first time in a long while we're getting something approaching sincerity from Brock, with this apocalyptic, agonizing, indeterminate, un-obsessive nuclear meltdown, that sounds like it was recorded in spontaneous spurts over a lifetime. Be brave! Be Brave!…Expand
Now let me start off with saying that I have not been a Modest Mouse fan since their beginning. I, like many others, heard Float On playing onNow let me start off with saying that I have not been a Modest Mouse fan since their beginning. I, like many others, heard Float On playing on the radio and immediately fell in love and then proceeded to download Good News For People Who Love Bad News. I have since gone back and listened to all their previous albums and EPs so I feel I have gained the right to be able to voice my opinion on the band's latest effort, Strangers to Ourselves. STO feels very similar to the the last two albums, Good News For People Who Love Bad News and We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank due to the fact that it features songs that would work perfectly on the radio like Lampshades on Fire and The Best Room but then also features some weird song to balance it out. The weirdest song on this album, at least in my opinion, is Pistol (A. Cunanan, Miami, FL. 1996) which has Isaac Broke half speaking, half singing in a unsettling low voice. The album also gives us some slower tracks which include title track and Coyotes that gives listens a nice break before the album picks up again. My favorite tracks are Sugar Boats, which feels like it would fit well providing the soundtrack to a video in which a circus falls apart, and Be Brave, which just instantly connected with me for reasons that I have not yet uncovered. In the end, this album adds to the impressive discography that Modest Mouse fans have come to love and shows that no talent or passion was lost over the eight years between this and the last album.…Expand
Overall a very good album. The production is more meticulous than previous albums but what would one expect after eight years? One very stinkyOverall a very good album. The production is more meticulous than previous albums but what would one expect after eight years? One very stinky song though, probably the worst in their cannon "Pistol". At least it is at the end of side one and easy to skip.…Expand
After a near-decade hiatus, I'm happy to report that Modest Mouse is still... Modest Mouse. This album contains a few gems: specificAfter a near-decade hiatus, I'm happy to report that Modest Mouse is still... Modest Mouse. This album contains a few gems: specific favourites thus far include Lampshades on Fire and the Tortoise and the Tourist, but there are a few songs just feel like they don't belong. Perhaps the biggest mistake I can think of on any recent album (album ever?) is Pistol. Why in the world did they choose to allow this on an otherwise pretty-good new album? Very, very, frustrating, especially if you will be listening on vinyl like me. The digital version on my phone and computer have already deleted this song... I get nostalgia and wanting to show something from your earlier catalogue... but at least make sure it's a decent track. Without that one song, this album goes from a 7 to an 8.…Expand
Modest Mouse is my absolutely favorite band. The Moon & Antarctica is my favorite album with The Lonesome Crowded West right behind. However,Modest Mouse is my absolutely favorite band. The Moon & Antarctica is my favorite album with The Lonesome Crowded West right behind. However, their latest effort, Strangers to Ourselves, is disappointingly average - especially for these veteran indie rockers. There are a few highlights, but I feel this is undeniably their worst album to date.…Expand
