By Stan Cierlitsky
It's finally time to review my favorite band. Today, Modest Mouse release their new album, An Eraser And A Maze, and it'’s a return to Isaac Brock's own Glacial Pace Recordings imprint. I have to believe after Sony refused to release their last EP this was the right move.
Prior to today Modest Mouse released three new singles, and all were incredible. They started with the brief (two minutes) "Look How Far", which, to me, is one of the rare times that Isaac dabbles in social commentary. "Look how far we haven't come / Oh my God, we're so fucking dumb." It also features Janet Weiss (Sleater-Kinney, Quasi) on drums. It's a bittersweet addition since this is Modest Mouse's first record which doesn't feature their longtime drummer Jeremiah Green. He sadly passed away at the end of 2022. Their second single, "Picking Dragon's Pockets" is their typical kind of radio-friendly single, one which reaches the heights of "Dashboard", "Lampshades On Fire", and "We Are Between". "They'll go crazy if you don't go crazy somehow," go the lyrics. The chorus just soars! This song distinguishes itself from those other radio hits by harkening back to older recordings, and some of us fans have noticed. Isaac's "barking"-delivery is reminiscent of material from We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank (2007) and earlier.
The third single, "Third Side Of The Moon" takes us back even farther and has some of Issac's best lyrics ever. Again, it's bittersweet because it references Jerimiah's passing as well as the passing of Isaac's longtime friend Sam Jayne (Lync, Love As Laughter). "A few days later they found you frozen in your car." This sadly is how Jayne was found after being reported missing. Isaac's lyrics in this song about remembering the color of someone's eyes who has passed on absolutely crush me.
And what about the other the new songs that dropped today on the rest of the record? Wow! Modest Mouse really provide so much variety on this album. There is just about something for everyone. You get slow, sweet sentimental songs like "Remember Yourself, Not Me". You get weird (but also sweet) songs like "Dogbed In Heaven" where Issac seems to be dreaming he is a dead dog thinking back about the family he left. You get poppy, forward-thinking songs like "Song About Nothing" that has a massive singalong chorus that's gonna explode live. You even get a song called "Rotten Fruit" that really feels like it was lifted from Ugly Casanova's album, Sharpen Your Teeth (2002).
And then there are what are the instant classics for me here on An Eraser and a Maze, and dang this album has a lot of them. I have to start with "Life's A Dream" because it's gonna be a lot of people's favorite on here. It sounds like they reworked their classic "The Whale Song" into a perfect, indie rock song. Another fave is "Speak and Spell (Or Not)". If I told you Isaac dusted off his Bowie guitar and made a song that's reminiscent of "Trailer Trash" would you believe me? I was floored when I first heard this. The last song I’d like to mention is "I Can't Talk Right Now" which is another guitar-anchored gem that starts in a dreamy fashion that then bursts open into a distorted wailing sound.
I think that once people have a chance to fully digest this album, they won’t just think that An Eraser and a Maze is the best Modest Mouse album since We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank (2007), they will be wondering where it ranks in the band's discography. I know just how high I'm ranking this one.
An Eraser and a Maze by Modest Mouse is out today. Details via ModestMouse.com.
[Photo: Ben Moon]