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Strangers to Ourselves

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Untitled

Strangers to Ourselves is the sixth album by American alternative rock band Modest Mouse, which was released on March 17, 2015,[1] two weeks after its initially announced release date of March 3.[2] The album was leaked to the internet on March 7, 2015.[3] On March 16, 2015, the day before the album's official release date, Strangers to Ourselves was prematurely made available for download on Amazon.com (free for Prime) and the iTunes Store.

It is the band's first studio album since We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, released in 2007, marking the longest gap between studio albums in their career. Modest Mouse recorded two albums worth of material in their sessions, though the second album still has several songs incomplete.[4]

Joe Zook, who mixed We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, also mixed Strangers To Ourselves.

The album's cover features an aerial image of Venture Out RV Resort, located in Mesa, Arizona.[5]

Singles

The first single from the album, "Lampshades on Fire", was made available on December 15, 2014 for streaming and digital download.[6] Another song from the album, "Coyotes", was made available for download on January 20, 2015. The third song to be made available, "The Best Room", was released on February 3, 2015, alongside the album's track listing.[1] A fourth track from the album, "The Ground Walks, with Time in a Box", was released on February 16, 2015.[7] On March 3, a fifth song from the album was released, the album's final track, "Of Course We Know".[8]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic70/100[9]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[10]
The A.V. ClubB+[11]
Cuepoint(3-star Honorable Mention)(3-star Honorable Mention)(3-star Honorable Mention)[12]
Entertainment WeeklyA[13]
The Guardian[14]
NME7/10[15]
Pitchfork Media6.4/10[16]
Rolling Stone[17]
Spin5/10[18]
Uncut8/10[19]

Reviews of Strangers to Ourselves represent a diverse mix of opinions on the album. The album holds a score of 70 out of 100 from Metacritic based on "generally favorable reviews".[9] While some lament the title's lack of experimentation and growth, other reviewers see the album as evidence of the band's evolution. Kyle Mcgovern of Spin Magazine calls the album "a rudderless 15-song set that slightly improves the standing of 2007's middle-of-the-moat We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank."[20] Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic emphasises the strengths of the album's songs individually, but adds that "it's an album where the trees matter more than the forest."[10]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Isaac Brock, except "God Is an Indian and You're an Asshole" lyrics by Jeremiah Green. All music composed by Modest Mouse

No.TitleLength
1."Strangers to Ourselves"3:24
2."Lampshades on Fire"3:08
3."Shit in Your Cut"4:44
4."Pistol (A. Cunanan, Miami, FL. 1996)"3:42
5."Ansel"2:56
6."The Ground Walks, with Time in a Box"6:12
7."Coyotes"3:31
8."Pups to Dust"3:31
9."Sugar Boats"4:03
10."Wicked Campaign"3:34
11."Be Brave"3:31
12."God Is an Indian and You're an Asshole"1:17
13."The Tortoise and the Tourist"3:41
14."The Best Room"4:25
15."Of Course We Know"5:24

Vinyl edition

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Strangers to Ourselves"3:24
2."Lampshades on Fire"3:08
3."Shit in Your Cut"4:44
4."Pistol (A. Cunanan, Miami, FL. 1996)"3:42
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."Ansel"2:56
2."The Ground Walks, with Time in a Box"6:12
3."Coyotes"3:31
4."God Is an Indian and You're an Asshole"1:17
Side three
No.TitleLength
1."Sugar Boats"4:03
2."Wicked Campaign"3:34
3."Be Brave"3:31
4."Pups to Dust"3:31
Side four
No.TitleLength
1."The Tortoise and the Tourist"3:41
2."The Best Room"4:25
3."Of Course We Know"5:24

Personnel

Modest Mouse

  • Isaac Brock – vocals, guitar, twelve-string, piano, Rhodes, Mellotron, bass, EBow, baritone guitar, Korg MS-20
  • Jeremiah Green – drums, conga, sequencers, electronic drums, djembe, death whistle, vibes, Korg, kalimba, cigar box guitar, backing vocals
  • Tom Peloso – bass, synth, Rhodes, piano, upright piano, cornet, kalimba, acoustic guitar, backing vocals
  • Jim Fairchild – guitar, Rhodes, ukulele, backing vocals
  • Russell Higbee – bass, Rhodes, upright bass, guitar, pump organ, vibes, electric piano, baritone guitar, euphonium, kalimba, cornet, organ, backing vocals
  • Lisa Molinaro – viola, cello, bass, vocals

Additional instrumentation

Charts

Chart (2015) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[21] 15
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[22] 40
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[23] 125
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[24] 192
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[25] 47
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[26] 39
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[27] 96
UK Albums (OCC)[28] 28
US Billboard 200[29] 3

References

  1. ^ a b "Modest Mouse Share "The Best Room", Detail Tracklist, Push Back Release Date". Pitchfork.
  2. ^ "Modest Mouse Confirm New Album 'Strangers to Ourselves'". Rolling Stone.
  3. ^ http://hasitleaked.com/2014/modest-mouse-strangers-to-ourselves/
  4. ^ http://www.newsweek.com/qa-isaac-brock-explains-why-new-modest-mouse-album-took-eight-years-312133
  5. ^ "Useless fact: The cover art from Strangers to Ourselves is from Apple Maps". 16 Dec 2014. Retrieved 3 Mar 2015.
  6. ^ "Modest Mouse premieres new single "Lampshades on Fire" — listen - Consequence of Sound". Consequence of Sound.
  7. ^ "Modest Mouse Share "The Ground Walks, With Time in a Box from forthcoming album, "Strangers to Ourselves"". Pitchfork.
  8. ^ Camp, Zoe (3 Mar 2015). "Modest Mouse Share "Of Course We Know", Announce Tour". Retrieved 3 Mar 2015.
  9. ^ a b "Reviews for Strangers to Ourselves by Modest Mouse". Metacritic. Retrieved March 20, 2015.
  10. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Strangers to Ourselves – Modest Mouse". AllMusic. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
  11. ^ Schonfeld, Zach (March 17, 2015). "Modest Mouse's Strangers To Ourselves is familiar in the best ways". The A.V. Club. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
  12. ^ Christgau, Robert (May 15, 2015). "Robert Christgau: Expert Witness". Cuepoint. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
  13. ^ Raymer, Miles (March 11, 2015). "Strangers to Ourselves by Modest Mouse: EW review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
  14. ^ Jonze, Tim (March 12, 2015). "Modest Mouse: Strangers to Ourselves review – indie-rock business as usual". The Guardian. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
  15. ^ Horner, Al (March 11, 2015). "Modest Mouse – 'Strangers To Ourselves'". NME. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
  16. ^ Greene, Jayson (March 17, 2015). "Modest Mouse: Strangers to Ourselves". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  17. ^ Fricke, David (March 17, 2015). "Strangers to Ourselves". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  18. ^ McGovern, Kyle (March 19, 2015). "Review: Modest Mouse's Middling Comeback, 'Strangers to Ourselves'". Spin. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  19. ^ "Modest Mouse: Strangers to Ourselves". Uncut (216): 77. May 2015.
  20. ^ Mcgovern, Kyle (19 Mar 2015). "Review: Modest Mouse's Middling Comeback, 'Strangers to Ourselves'". Spin. SpinMedia. Retrieved 24 Mar 2015.
  21. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Modest Mouse – Strangers to Ourselves". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  22. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Modest Mouse – {{{album}}}" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  23. ^ "Ultratop.be – Modest Mouse – Strangers to Ourselves" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  24. ^ "Ultratop.be – Modest Mouse – Strangers to Ourselves" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  25. ^ "Officialcharts.de – Modest Mouse – {{{album}}}". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  26. ^ "Charts.nz – Modest Mouse – Strangers to Ourselves". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  27. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Modest Mouse – Strangers to Ourselves". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  28. ^ "Modest Mouse | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
  29. ^ "US Billboard". March 25, 2015. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
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