modest mouse album zip download Strangers to Ourselves. Modest Mouse just may be the quirkiest band of our time. Issac Brock’s ability to transition seamlessly between pirate-like squawks and genuinely heartfelt insight is not a line easily toed, yet he’s done it for almost two decades now. They’ve also jumped all over the map stylistically, from the rambunctious and free-spirited flow of The Lonesome Crowded West to the more reserved psychedelic ponderings of The Moon & Antarctica . From one release to the next, one could never be certain of what to expect from a Modest Mouse album – and that was the best part. They weren’t always the easiest experiences to sit through, especially during the band’s more abrasive phases, but the journey always ended up being worth the ride. So after eight years out of the studio, what does that make Strangers to Ourselves ? Well for one, it’s ironic. Modest Mouse, now more than ever, know exactly who they are and this album proves it. The heavy backbeats, harmonic ba ba ba ’s, and eerie work – it’s all been heard before. That isn’t to say that they don’t add tweaks and subtle little curves, but the truth is their core sound hasn’t changed since 2004, as Good News for People Who Love Bad News , We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank , and Strangers to Ourselves all follow the same general set of rules. Modest Mouse’s sixth studio album is like drifting off into a daydream during a road trip – reminiscing about all the things you’ve seen and places you’ve been – only to realize you fell asleep and you’ve been parked at your destination the whole time. In essence, this is Modest Mouse’s greatest hits. Understandably, a lot of people will read that and exclaim to themselves, “Modest Mouse’s greatest hits, what’s so awful about that?” The quick answer is nothing. This is a perfectly respectable outing by a band that has carved out a permanent niche as prominent indie-rock statesmen. In fact, I highly recommend it to anyone just getting into Modest Mouse. However, for those who have followed the band since their humble beginnings and have witnessed their growth over the course of decades, there’s very little to be gained from a cumulative resumé of ideas. Take lead single ‘’ for instance. The song is basically a more well-rounded sibling of ‘The World At Large’, featuring the same ba ba ba ’s as its cornerstone chorus, just with a livelier tempo and choir backing vocals (which is easily the most entertaining part). But they’re both plants growing from the same exact root, and that should bother anyone who expected novelty after hearing that the band was recording with Krist Novoselic and Big Boi. Or alternatively, maybe the fact that Strangers to Ourselves isn’t a hip-hop infused mess is relief enough in itself to overlook the album’s glaring lack of vision. For better or worse, it’s the same old Modest Mouse that we were all listening to when ‘Float On’ hit the airwaves. Within that static realm of existence, we find that Strangers to Ourselves – like so many Modest Mouse albums before it – is a mixed bag of glowing gems and bafflingly pointless duds. The title track, in all of its plodding and redundant pace, actually qualifies as the former with a mesmerizing atmosphere and Brock’s Roger Waters reminiscent pipes. As a lead track it might not be the most convincing, but that takes nothing away from it as a stand-alone highlight. ‘Pups to Dust’ is an incredibly underrated piece, with dynamically layered vocals that begin as jarring background crescendos and culminate in angelically lush, female-fronted humming. Somewhere in the middle of all this, they tear off an absolutely massive sounding electric guitar riff. The more I discuss that song, the more I’m convinced it’s actually the best one on here. ‘Sugar Boats’ is another clear standout, with a crystalline piano introduction that works its way through a sinister progression to a metallic climax complete with a breakdown. The closing trifecta is almost perfect, with ‘The Tortoise and the Tourist’ serving as the closest Modest Mouse has ever come to recapturing the magic from The Moon & Antarctica , ‘The Best Room’ showing off the best of their eccentric side (it’s about a UFO sighting), and ‘Of Course We Know’ tying it all together with one enormous sounding, epic ribbon. Writing all of this is almost enough to convince me that it doesn’t matter whether or not Modest Mouse ever does anything new, because they’re so damn qualified for the current role in which they reside. However, for as easy as it is to get swept up in Strangers to Ourselves ’ highlight reel, it’s just as easy to step into the manhole comprised of time- wasters such as ‘Pistol’ and ‘*** in Your Cut.’ ‘Pistol’ is one of those tracks that is so goddamn terrible that you almost feel embarrassed for having listened to it…it’s almost one of those so bad it’s good situations, but the line “why don’t you come into my room and clean my pistol” is too cringe-worthy to even offer the track any type of honorary respect. At least ‘God is an Indian and You’re an Asshole’ gets redemption points for having an awesome name. ‘Be Brave’ and ‘Ansel’ are two very frustrating songs because they sound like they’ll be vast and overpowering, but they just end up being boring. Both tracks make the same mistake of peaking immediately, and then wandering confusedly for the rest of the runtime without really progressing or changing at all. There’s a small handful of other mid-level quality tunes that pack enough of a punch to intrigue, namely ‘Wicked Campaign’ – but such tracks don’t really do enough to sway the listener either way. At the end of the day, Strangers to Ourselves has a very similar makeup to both of its predecessors though – there’s the good, the bad, and the ugly…how those fractions shake out in terms of the record’s make-up boil down to personal preference. With Strangers to Ourselves , Modest Mouse have at least proven that they haven’t lost a step after a lengthy studio hiatus. Many fans will find themselves disappointed that this didn’t amount to some kind of Earth-shattering “statement album”, but that’s a common reaction to have when a band takes a long time off from recording and everyone falsely assumes that they have eight years’ worth of calculated improvements just ready to fly. However, those same fans can take solace in the fact that Brock and company are ready to follow this album up with a near-finished product “as soon as legally possible.” They’ve already hinted that it will be “weird”, which by Modest Mouse’s already bizarre standards may actually be cause for concern. Perhaps that album is where they hid all their new ideas. For now though, Strangers to Ourselves serves us a steady diet of more post-2000 Modest Mouse. It’s not all bad, but one can’t help but think that this fifteen-track recording is a long album for someone with nothing to say. Modest Mouse ​– Strangers To Ourselves. Popped this on while I was working and about ten seconds into the first song I'd swiveled my chair around with an exclamation of "Holy shit!" The sound on this record is just glorious; crisp, precise, well-balanced and lush. I've noticed a trend with vinyl from Modest Mouse: it sounds better than pretty much any other contemporary artist out there, and this is no exception. Folks have complained that this isn't his "best" album, and while the energy level here is definitely less frenetic than his other records, I still think it's an excellent record. Maybe that's because Modest Mouse has always been a departure from my usual listening habits (folk and classical), but overall I feel like this absolutely stands up to the rest of his discography. It's just a little different, heavier and deeper and less frenzied, but no less excellent. Modest Mouse – Strangers To Ourselves. A huge fan of Tortoises with a very small sample size once said “slow and steady wins the race” but in an industry that relies almost entirely on momentum and hype is taking an extended break from the album making rat race ever really a good idea? Probably the most famous example of taking blinkin’ ages on a follow up album comes courtesy of one of our least favourite bands of all time, Guns N’Roses. The not quite as terrible as you’d imagine it would be Chinese Democracy finally landed in 2008, a full 15 years after their previous studio album, and even that album, The Spaghetti Incident was a series of covers of old punk and hard-rock tunes. Their last attempt at any original material was a further two years previously. Despite the delay and it being not all that great it still managed to shift six and half million copies, and crashed into the upper echelons of the chart across the world! When The Beach Boys went into the studio in February 1966, few would have thought it would take a full 38 years before Smile finally saw the light of day. Whether it was internal resistance from the band, legal wrangles with Capitol Records or the increasing affects substance abuse were taking on the mental health of Brian Wilson, in 1967 the record was shelved, seemingly never to see the light of day again. Having avoided talking about, let alone performing Smile, at the turn of the millennium Wilson began to incorporate some of Smile’s tracks into his setlist and in early 2004, it was decided that they would recreate the album live. Following the success of the live shows, and with Van Dyke Parks back involved (largely because Brian couldn’t remember all the lyrics!) it was decided that they would head back into the studio and finally give the songs the album release they deserved. Smile was finally released in September 2004, and with an average Metacritic score of 97% it is now widely regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time. If it’s taking some time out you’re after though, look no further than the rather wonderful Vashti Bunyan. The Newcastle born singer-songwriter was originally discovered in 1965 by the Rolling Stones manager, Andrew Loog Oldham, and after releasing singles on Decca and Columbia her debut album Just Another Diamond Day was released in 1970 on Phillips Records. Whilst it was critically well received, it struggled to find the audience to match the reviews and, disillusioned with the music industry she decided to give up on a music career and concentrate on raising her three children. In the ensuing 30 years, unbeknownst to Vashti, her album became one of the most sought-after records, fetching up to £2000 on eBay. The album was re-released in 2000 and a year later following an advice-seeking letter from Devendra Banhart, she became embroiled once again in the music industry, appearing on releases from the likes of Animal Collective and Piano Magic’s Glen Johnson. Finally a full 35 years after it’s predecessor Vashti released her second album Lookaftering on FatCat Records, produced by Max Richter and featuring the likes of Adem, Joanna Newsom and Devendra Banhart, it was a critical and, thanks to some well placed advertising synchronisations, commercial success! The so called “Godmother of Freak-Folk” would go on to release her 3rd and final album Heartleap in 2014 – a wonderful end to the career of one of the most surprisingly delayed careers anyone could ever have imagined. There is a line in the opening track, Strangers To Ourselves, when Isaac Brock sings “how lucky we are that we are so easy, so easy to forget”, well if Modest Mouse were wanting to be forgotten they’re going about it the right way! In eleven years from 1996 onwards, Modest Mouse released five, full-length, studio albums, in the eight years since up until this week they had released none. It is perhaps unsurprising that in those eight years the musical landscape has changed. When they released 2007’s We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank, it reached number one in the US Billboard Album Charts; when that sort of success is suddenly thrust upon a band eleven years into their recording career, you could probably forgive a couple of years off, forgive them for taking their time to make sure the follow up lived up to what was easily their most commercially successful moment to date…. but eight years?! To put that into some context Of Montreal released an album in 2007, they’ve released a further five albums since then! 2007 was the year that saw debut albums from The Klaxons; Arcade Fire released only their second album and Kanye West had only have one number one single in the US. We think it’s fair to say the musical world has moved on without Modest Mouse, the question now is have Modest Mouse moved on too? The short answer is – no! Strangers To Ourselves unquestionably still sounds an awful lot like a Modest Mouse record! There were rumoured collaborations with artists as varied as Big Boi and Krist Novoselic, changes of producers, departing band members and world tours cancelled to concentrate on finishing the album, you’d probably expect it to at least show some signs of a departure from their previous sound, but in reality if this album had come out eight weeks after their last album, you’d be forgiven for expecting a little more variety! This is all, somewhat inevitably, sounding like a major negative, but in reality, Strangers To Ourselves is not, it’s more a timely reminder of just what we’ve been missing while they’ve been away. For fans of the band, it’s quite easy to simply take this record as a welcome triumphant return for one the most unique and brilliant bands arround. Take the albums first single, Lampshades On Fire; it’s as good an example of the bands strange melding of College Rock and Gypsy Jazz as they’ve ever produced. The lively stacatto stabs of piano, the bouncing bass lines, the guitar lines that sound both entirely familiar and unlike anyone else, and that voice! Oh that voice, a sort of tuneful shout in your face, we’ve thought about it long and hard but cannot come up with anyone who sounds like Isacc – there’s the wildness of Tom Waits, a bit of Mr.E but basically he’s just a unique and brilliant talent. Modest Mouse might still sound exactly like Modest Mouse but nobody else has ever even come close! Lampshades On Fire also introduces a major lyrical theme of the album, because Isaac has been thinking about the future of the planet, and he doesn’t think it looks all that great! “Spend some time to float in outer space. Find another planet, make the same mistakes. Our mind’s all shattered when we climb aboard hopin’ for the scientists to find another door.” It’s a theme he visits throughout the album. On The Ground Walks With Time In A Box, he’s declaring “the world’s an inventor, we’re the dirtiest thing it’s thought about and we really don’t mind.” while on Coyotes “mankind’s behavin’ like some serial killers.” It’s clear from this album that Modest Mouse are frankly a bit angry at humanity, there’s barely a good word for the human race within the albums near hour long running time; if the music wasn’t infused with Modest Mouse’s instinctive ability to make you shuffle your feet it could probably come across as way too much. Infusing a jaunty dancehall track with a heavy lyrical burden is one of our favourite musical tricks and on many of the albums moments it really works. It’s not without it’s duff numbers, Pistol (A.Cunanan, Miami, Fl. 1996) manages to be even worse than it’s title, it’s just an LCD Soundsystem track over-produced to within an inch of it’s life, and being sung by The Wolf Of Wall Street, you can only hope lyrics like “I’ve got my cocaine in the glove box now the sunroof is down, oh wow!” and “I wanna zip-zip-zip-zip-zip-zip-zip-zip your pants, on down” are entirely tongue in cheek or mocking, otherwise they’re just woeful. Elsewhere Sugar Boats sounds like Blur messing about at the height of Brit-Pop a sort of bloated carnival inspired mess, it gets better as it goes along, and some people might like it as some light relief but it’s hard to argue that either track make the album any better, and they probably just contribute to an over long running time. There are some great moments as well, Be Brave covers the same sleezy 1980’s, cop-show feel perfected by Timber Timbre on last years Hot Dream; the pulsing piano is a particular highlight, as is the almost spoken-word break down as Isaac declares “the world it don’t give a shit.” Ansel adds a delightful steel drum sound to the mix that gives it a jaunty feel that belies it’s tales of his brothers death in a mountain accident “the last time that you ever see another soul. No, you never get to know.” it’s a deeply personal, and very moving song. Coyotes with it’s delicate finger picked guitar intro, and waltz beat played out by beautifully melodic backing vocals is just a beautiful piece of song craft, constantly hinting at a huge crescendo but always holding back and remaining a gentle sway. The Best Room is an excellent single, it’s an upbeat cousin of their mega-hit Float On, all sweet vocal melodies, complex percussion and superb break downs “ain’t it hard feeling tired all the time?” Isaac sings on one particularly sweet harmony, before regaling us with tales of the noisy family upstairs who “must have a fleet of rider lawn mowers” and the “novelist to my right who’s convinced every woman’s a whore” whilst trying to be set up with Isacc’s best-friends, it’s a musing on the commercialism and pointless nature of Western living, and stands out as one of their best tracks to date. For new ideas that work, probably the best example is the albums closing track, Of Course We Know, starting off with an instrumental blast of marching drums and swirling electric , it eventually resolves to a lone electric piano and Isaac waltzes in lamenting human’s lack of empathy for the world they’re destroying “the streets are just blankets and we sleep or their silky corpse. Covered up by them why would we ever wake up?” The whole song plays out like an existential crisis of a man who can’t see why he or humanity in general are here?; a man questioning if any good has come of the human race, “what the hell are we here for? We just do not know” he asks. He even pleas with a god he doesn’t believe in to explain it to him, as he puts it to “lay down your own soul.” He’s never sounded so raw, or honest in his assessment of his own lack of understanding. The Bon Iver-like production of the final line “of course we know” as the loan piano plays out is a rather beautiful end to the album. Ultimately, what they’ve crafted is a very good record, but one that acts more as a reminder of what they are capable of rather than an example that they’ve got any new ideas. Where once they were thrilling and different, now they are beginning to sound solid. It’s great to have them back making music again, we just hope that by the next time they head into the studio they take a few more risks and find a way of putting a new spin on the sound they’ve taken so long to perfect. Strangers To Ourselves is out now on Epic Records. Modest Mouse plays a series of dates throughout the UK at the start of July. Modest Mouse – Strangers To Ourselves (Album Review) August 3, 2016 Modest Mouse – Strangers To Ourselves (Album Review) In 1992, in the suburbs of Seattle, Washington, a band was formed under the name Modest Mouse by then teenagers Isaac Brock (vocals, guitar), (bass), and (drums). Coming a long way from the early days, sustaining various line-up changes, the now veteran outfit consist of Brock, Green, along with Tom Peloso (bass, horns, vocals, fiddle, keyboards), (guitars, vocals), Russell Higbee (bass, guitar, vocals), Lisa Molinaro (strings, bass, vocals, keyboards), Dave Brozowski (drums), and Ben Massarella (percussion). To the average person, this means little, but to those in the know, they are aware Modest Mouse has expanded and brought with them a sound that is one of a kind. Having released a series of successful albums through the years, including platinum selling 2004 effort Good News for People Who Love Bad News , Modest Mouse continue to truck on with new and exciting music. That in mind, the band most recently re-released their 2009 EP No One’s First, and You’re Next on April 22nd, and 1999’s EP on July 29th. Delightful for fans to revisit the band’s earlier works, it must not be overlooked that in 2015 they released an extremely special album in the form of Strangers To Ourselves. Their sixth overall studio album, Strangers To Ourselves was released on March 17, 2015 via Epic Records and features a litany of musicians. It all begins with the title-track, “Strangers to Ourselves,” where tingling bells and violins are soon joined by mellow vocals as well as a soft drumline creating a warped effect. Then comes “Lampshades On Fire” with peppier beat as well as bouncing guitars and vocals to match. Deeper pitched vocals contrast with softer, high-pitched vocals, creating a unique dynamic. With a slight scratching, “Shit In Your Cut” comes in with a darker tone as the contrasting vocals return and an understated echo only serve to add to the flavor of the track. Continuing the journey,“Pistol” begins with an old school style drum beat and sassy warped vocals, giving a crazy, melodramatic feel to the track as the lyrics help seal the image of a confused drug-fueled experience. Thereafter, “Ansel” channels the band’s unique sound with lighter notes and funkier beats mixed with, yet again, darker tones. Here the story told is one of Brock’s own brother, Ansel, who died in an avalanche and reminds that no one can ever really know how much time they may have left. A telling fact, “The Ground Walks, With Time In A Box” kicks things up a little with a fast pace and Rock styled guitars. As vocals chime in, they follow the funkier tempo as the words harkens back to older Modest Mouse stylings. Slowing things down a little, “Coyotes” features an acoustic guitar intro and maracas creating a reflective nature with haunting colors laced throughout the track. Coming back with a bit of Funk, “Pups To Dust” possesses a somber mood as warped guitars add an otherworldly quality to the song as the the vocals add the balance. For “Sugar Boats,” they choose to open with an old-time saloon style piano before the guitars add a Rock flair between the drums and vocals as a strange image is conjured up. Keeping the mood rather diverse, “Wicked Campaign” comes at the listener with a futuristic sound as a slow beat plays before frantic vocals join. This is all while the instrumentation create a gorgeous backdrop to lyrics that could be construed as speaking on an aspect of the human condition. Bringing on a harder beat, “Be Brave” feels like a ’50s style piece as vocals chant “Be brave,” over and over again, even while lyrics illustrate how small humans are. Keeping a sense of humor, “God Is An Indian And You’re An Asshole” begins with rewinding effect and pulls influence from older Country style sounds. A short track, the lyrics are very simple, with the title of the track telling most of the story, followed with “get on your horse and ride.” In contrast, “The Tortoise And The Tourist” comes in with strange high-pitched guitar and crashing drums that fade down into a slower beat. Here, the verses illustrate man’s priorities, in a cool modish way. Perhaps one of the more upbeat offerings, “The Best In The Room” features a bright mood as the track showcases the absurdities of today’s society, while simultaneously illustrating the thought that humans are really only evolved animals. On that note, Modest Mouse closes out the album with “Of Course We Know.” Begun depressing and slow, quiet echoes create a feeling of floating while watching everything unfold in slow motion. In true Modest Mouse form, Strangers To Ourselves delivers oddity, once again, as the soundtrack to considering who humanity is in a way that is strangely attractive. Fans will find the album to be a renewed sound that is still undeniably Modest Mouse with each note, lyric, and vibe. Those who may have missed its release a year ago should pick it up today, and for those who were undecided on their feelings of the album’s direction, should most certainly give it second thought. CrypticRock gives Strangers To Ourselves 5 out of 5 stars. Strangers to Ourselves. Modest Mouse have been working on their new album for longer than many bands have existed. After reports of bizarre guest spots, shifting producers, and the departure of founding bassist Eric Judy, Strangers to Ourselves betrays no signs of its troubled birth, for better and for worse. Modest Mouse have been working on their new album for longer than many bands have existed. The breadcrumb trail of news reports depicting their progress over the years—they were recording with Krist Novoselic and Big Boi; they were switching producers—gave the worrying impression of a band that maybe didn’t know what the hell they were doing. In 2013, they canceled a tour to hit the studio, and somewhere in there founding bassist Eric Judy quit the band. The process left in its wake some dropped singles and a few different release dates, along with a lingering sense that maybe this venerable indie institution’s creative motor was stuck in neutral. Strangers to Ourselves finally sees the light of day this week, and to hear Brock tell it, we’re getting another album "as soon as legally possible." They are back , in other words, and vigorously making up for lost time. For better and for worse, the album betrays no signs of its troubled birth. They might have spent eight years in the wilderness, but what they have delivered is…a Modest Mouse album, one that sounds like it could have been released five years ago. There are no new directions or tweaks to their approach. "Lampshades on Fire", the first single, is a good example. It offers a sort of greatest-hits version of all the sounds Modest Mouse have become known for—"Here’s the hard-swinging backbeat! Here are a few of those eerie-sounding harmonic guitar bends, and here are some tight, clipped 'bah bah bahs!'" Still, there’s satisfaction to be had, hearing this band of pros finding and hitting their marks so emphatically. They've been a touring juggernaut for years now, and you can imagine many of these songs exploding live. Here and there some new flourishes pop up. The glimmering mallet percussion on "Ansel" is a nice touch, something we’ve never heard on a Modest Mouse record before. Opener "Strangers" is a patient and pretty ballad, featuring drowsy brush work by drummer Jeremiah Green, a prominent cello line, and Brock’s gentle, lilting midrange. The delicately fingerpicked acoustic guitar figure in the beginning of "Coyotes" is also lovely, a bit of late-period Beatles. "The Best Room" may or may not be inspired by a UFO sighting, as Isaac Brock coyly hinted in a recent interview. But the song is an unruffled and sweet pop-rock number that hits a feeling Modest Mouse never bothered with in their earliest days: It is sunny, optimistic, relaxed. Not even "Float On", their massive hit and a teeth-gritted ode to positivity, had this easy sense of goodwill to it. At times, the record feels labored, like you can hear every studio session that went into its creation. By the time the metal guitars have crashed into "Sugar Boats"—and the tubas enter in a moment later, doubling over them—the song has grown both overwhelming and boring. "Pistol (A. Cunanan, Miami, FL. 1996)", meanwhile, is an overcooked, clattering mess, a sloppy retread of " Made of Ashes" that might be the worst song Brock has ever recorded. On these moments, you get the sense the band simply recorded for eight years until someone told them to stop. What’s ultimately missing are new ideas, or a fresh spin on their old ones. The lyrics, which used to be a very good reason to listen to a Modest Mouse record, are no longer the draw. Brock’s voice remains remarkable, an exclamation point he can bend into attention-getting shapes—a Tourette’s-like yelp, a heartburn-belch, a rooster crow. So lines like "We’re the sexiest of all primates" ("The Best Room") are simply awkward, like a party quieting down just as you shout something particularly banal. Any band that stays together for nearly 20 years, transitioning from indie to major label, losing and gaining members along the way, is going to change. A long time ago, Modest Mouse were known for volatile, destructive behavior and piercing insights, but their last two albums have positioned them as paragons of alt-rock professionalism, a band that takes their fans and their albums seriously and think hard about how to deliver on their expectations. 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".