MODEST MOUSE
An Eraser And A Maze (Glacial Pace)
Modest Mouse begin their first release in five years with single Picking Dragons Pockets, showing the band still have a knack for writing an infectious tune. Although their post-2000 material has been ‘poppier’ sounding, there’s a surprise early in the album with Third Side Of The Moon: a raw melancholic track that sounds like the band’s 90s heyday.
The rest of the album doesn’t keep up this seeming return to their older style however, and long term fans may be disappointed. By the standards of their newer material there are worthy tracks here, especially in the first half – but nothing as memorable as the heights of Dashboard or their breakout hit Float On.
We end on a high with the short, punchy single Look How Far and Impossible Somedays – all together, though, An Eraser And A Mazejust feels a little underwhelming compared to what Modest Mouse have done before.
words SAM LEE
