Modest Mouse : "An Eraser and a Maze"

 Isaac Brock is the sole original member of this band, who is plugging away on its 8th album. This was originally written to be for his solo project, Ugly Casanova, but he fleshed it out into his band with more name recognition. The style of quirky indie rock has not changed a great deal since "Good News For People Who Love Bad News," though the second song, "Remember Yourself," has a folky, organic introspection. This is the band's first album back on an indie label, which might seem like a step down, but it also comes with more artistic freedom and fewer suits breathing down their neck. Brock loosens his belt and lays back into a 60's flavored groove for "Life's a Dream." His voice feels warmer, as it relaxes against the flowing layers of sound dripping down from behind him. 

For me, their best album is "The Moon & Antarctica." That was a much darker affair with speculative lyrics about aliens; here, trippy elements are painting the walls, but they are playfully grooving. You would think a song called "Third Side of the Moon" would take you back to that place, and it is a marginal turn in that direction, but a glimpse at least. There is a strum of Brock's brand of quirky folk with a twang on "Dogbed in Heaven." This song is connected to "Give it a Skeleton," which is an intersting puzzle of a song lyrically, though musically it sounds like it's left over from the 90s. There are other songs like "Speak n Spell" that also feel like they have taken parts that sound like they should belong in a Modest Mouse song, but forgot how they should fit together. 

They do hit the mark solidly, taking the band's sound and marrying it with new sounds that blend well, like "I Can't Talk Right Now" and "Rotten Fruit," which is a collaboration with indie pop producer Justin Raisen, who has also worked with Charli XCX.He is not the only one bringing the modern pop touches to this album as the band willingly breaks out hooky grooves on "Absolutley Necessary Never," which works well and would have been a more interesting direction to see the band go in.  The album is also littered with instrumental interludes. Though they prove they can make the most of two minutes on "Song About Nothing," which has some punk energy. "Look How Far " is another example of how they can make the most of less than two minutes. Then they close the album with a song that is dialed in from their middle ground. I'll give this album an 8.5. I enjoyed it, but chances are slim that I will feel like listening to it again. They hit on what works for them as a band, dialing it for the fans that have kept them going all these years. It sounds great, so that is probably what you want from these guys as time marches on and so do they.

pst224