Modest Mouse
Strangers To Ourselves

I'm writing this review kneeling on chickpeas while a painful cilice is mortifying my flesh and spirit. Why suffer? Why harm oneself? Perhaps because I never wanted to speak ill of the Issaquah group. Never did I think that their independent and alternative nature could be diluted by the softness and commercial relaxations of high rankings (so to speak, of course). Let's be clear, the new work "Strangers To Ourselves" (2015) is not a bad album (see, even now I can't bring myself to speak ill of it), perhaps too long and dispersive; a better selection would have benefited the final result. But then what's wrong?

After a good eight years, the modest mouse returns to the world stage after the modest "We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank," where the presence of the legendary Johnny Marr guaranteed better sales and a clear pop turning point (just to stay within the nautical concept of the album) in sound and arrangements. "Strangers To Ourselves" seems to maintain the same wavelength, (almost) light music for easy listening. The aggressive roughness is completely gone from the guitars, those continuous "slams" that made me fall in love with them (the first three albums being a testament). Isaac Brock's vocal ramblings are at times a parody of himself, more manner than substance.

There remain many nice little disconnected songs from each other that recall the past glories, some small consolations for the long-time "hardcore" fans. The indie-rock bursts of the late '90s seem sublimated into an intangible gaseous compound, just barely breathable by the lungs, unaccustomed to high altitudes, of the last-minute fans. You will find their classic ballads (Of Course We Know), historical rides (Lampshades On Fire), more intimate songs (Coyotes), and others completely bad and off-key (Pistol).

Tired of my complaints? I believe it, forgive me. Does it sound like the outburst of a betrayed lover? Perhaps yes, but try to understand me and even console me. For such a modest mouse, musicanidi really doesn't know what to do with it.