Modest Mouse floats on with newest album “The Golden Casket”

BY MARIANA GARRICK

Modest Mouse stays true to its creative, quirky and ever-changing sound with their most recent album The Golden Casket. Since their earliest beginnings in 1992, the band has released seven albums that have been dramatically different, yet still enjoyable for long-time fans that have grown and adapted to their bizarre vibe. The 12-track album lasts a little under an hour and touches on topics ranging from acid trips to technology and a message to lead singer Isaac Brock’s children.

In the first five years of Modest Mouse’s existence, they released three full-length records with scattered EP’s and singles. At the time, the band consisted of Brock as the lead singer/guitarist, Jeremiah Green as the drummer, and Eric Judy as the bassist. The Talking Heads and Pixies heavily influenced the alt-rock band, and their earlier music shows it. In the band’s more recent years, Judy departed from the group, and Johnny Marr of The Smiths joined, along with percussionist Joe Plummer, Jim Fairchild, and Russell Higbee. After spitting out a few albums and releasing singles, their slowdown began. The group started to take their time when creating music, and their effort showed with the success of their next few albums. It took them four years to create 2004’s Good News for People Who Love Bad News, which featured their Grammy-nominated song “Float On” that also topped Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks chart. In the 16 years that followed, they’ve only released two other albums.

Some of The Golden Casket’s individual tracks are produced by Jacknife Lee (U2, the Killers) and Dave Sardy (Oasis, Fall Out Boy). Brock and Sardy worked closely together to create “a bunch of weird sounds” before seeing what they needed from the rest of the band members. Although they’ve maintained their creative sound as mentioned before, the album’s message is different from its predecessors with messages of hope, gratitude, and change.

The album opens with “F**k Your Acid Trip,” an already stark difference to the psychedelic music they once put forth. “I’m kind of over it now // F**k your acid trip, I need to get home” Brock spits during the song. Throughout his career, the singer has been open about his struggle with mental health and drug use, which he sang about in 2004’s “The Good Times Are Killing Me.” Since then, he’s matured and made efforts to go clean, as we hear in their opening song. The fun song creates the perfect beginning for an album that’s full of optimism.

The next track “We Are Between” is a feel-good song that sheds light on Brock’s appreciation and realization of humanity’s role on the planet. “We are somewhere between the dust and the stars,” he sings between a clean-toned guitar riff and twinkling sounds. His voice fades out in an empty-arena sound effect to transition into “We’re Lucky.” The song has a soft lullaby tone while he sings about how lucky he is to experience Earth’s gifts of the stars and sea.

“Walking and Running” starts off percussion-heavy with guitar riffs while Brock discusses animals in their natural habitats. The rushed-bellowing track is full of different sound effects that range from police warning blurps to other noises that add a futuristic feel. The song abruptly ends after all of the instruments rock out simultaneously to prepare for the slow and unsettling beginning of “Wooden Soldiers.” The six-minute dirge-like song features Sardy’s piano, acoustic guitar, organ and vocal skills alongside the rest of the mixed sounds of the group. The lyrics focus on the foolishness of planning for the future when living in the moment should be enough. The bittersweet ending tune of a whistle softly transitions into “Transmitting Receiving.”

Modest Mouse wrestles with technology on this track as they briefly go over the technological evolution we’ve faced (“Horses, wagons, airplanes, cars, smartphones”). As Brock and Sardy play a total of 14 instruments while the band contributes another six, the lyrics describe how so much technology can bring about paranoia (“Well nothing in this world’s gonna petrify me // We are repeating // Always vibrating // We are transmitting”).

Later in the album comes “Lace Your Shoes,” a sweet tune that’s hopeful for a brighter future for children— or more specifically, Brock’s children (“I hope there’s still something left for you I can’t wait to see which paths you choose”). The song pays tribute to his two daughters and 19-year-old son, where he describes his life as hazy, until they came along. Fans of Modest Mouse took to discussion forums to address how this track has moved them and made them feel an overwhelming sense of love for their own children, as it captures the fulfilling feeling of parenthood. On the other hand, “Never F**k a Spider on The Fly” addresses politics. “I can’t care for politics and it doesn’t care for me,” he sings, while he also hurriedly goes over the news.

“Back to the Middle” features violist Lisa Molinaro who assists the band with their final song of the album. “We lived in cities and we lived in caves, I guess I’d like to go to the middle again,” Brock says in the final moments of the track, reflecting on all that the band has done. The song seems like it’s indicating that the band has come so far, but they aren’t done just yet. Instead of ending, they’d like to go back to the middle.

The Golden Casket is a hopeful introduction of what’s next for Modest Mouse. Compared to their earlier projects, this album shows their growth as both individuals and a group. From singing about depression, drugs and bad news at the start of their career, the band has since evolved and instead show appreciation and gratitude for the world while being optimistic about the future. In their first album since 2015, they’ve set the stage with this positivity-filled project that just might have changed their signature sound forever.