Hailing from Washington, west coast rockers Modest Mouse were one of the key flag bearers for the indie revival of the late 1990s. Their rapid fire release of three albums in just five years, from their debut This Is A Long Drive For Someone With Nothing To Think About, to follow up The Lonesome Crowded West, and 2000’s The Moon & Antarctica, catapulted them to worldwide acclaim, and rightfully so. These early volumes were captivating, free flowing masterpieces of the genre that stand up more than two decades on.

The band’s status as giants of the indie scene was only cemented when none other than Johnny Marr joined their roster, playing on 2007’s We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank. Recently The Smith’s guitarist announced on Twitter that “Modest Mouse was the best time of my life”, sending fans into fever pitch at the potential of his return. A possibility which frontman Isaac Brock recently paved the way for, telling NME that “the option’s available”.

Modest Mouse are a very different proposition now, however. Gone are those manic, hyper productive flurys of creativity. Instead, the band have slowed down, releasing just Strangers To Ourselves in 2015, since Marr’s departure. That was until this week, when The Golden Casket – their first album in six years – landed to some surprised ears, because it’s a collection of songs that is rather different to anything they’ve done before.

There’s no stand out, radio friendly delights along the lines of Float On, still arguably the band’s signature song. Instead, The Golden Casket is a rich tapestry of intricate songwriting and musicianship that comes with a curiously psychedelic edge. Lead single We Are Between is a thumping effort that flickers with a twitchy, nervous energy, while Lace Your Shoes builds from it’s gentle start to one of the album’s best choruses, and Leave A Light On is a funk-infused pop treat. 

Old fans of Modest Mouse might take a few tracks to adjust to the new direction, or rather directions, here, but will be richly rewarded when they do. There’s no getting away from the fact it’s a slightly scattergun collection, lacking some of the cohesion of their earlier work, but it carries off these quirks beautifully. 

The Golden Casket tracklist:

1. F**k Your Acid Trip
2. We Are Between
3. We’re Lucky
4. Walking And Running
5. Wooden Soldiers
6. Transmitting Receiving
7. The Sun Hasn’t Left
8. Lace Your Shoes
9. Never F**k A Spider On The Fly
10. Leave A Light On
11. Japanese Trees
12. Back To The Middle

Watch the official video for We Are Between here.

Author: Joe Sharratt

Joe Sharratt is a writer and journalist based in the UK covering music, literature, sport, and travel.