Modest Mouse: "The Lonesome Crowded West" (Album Review)

Genres: Indie Rock, Post-Hardcore, Midwest Emo

The Lonesome Crowded West is as paradoxical a piece of music as the album’s title. From rush and sporadic instrumentation to contemplative lyrics, Modest Mouse presents what feels like all of themselves on this record. This is a discussion consisting mostly of questions, an unsteady train of thought, and backpedaling. It’s expressed naturally and feels indirectly intimate, almost like overhearing a conversation between two close friends at a coffee shop.

Isaac Brock’s performance on The Lonesome Crowded West is definitely a highlight of the record, with so many different approaches for each song that you’re left eagerly awaiting his next move. With expensive instrumentation that supports Brock’s vocalizations of both the calm and the storm, there’s so much that goes into creating a three-dimensional sound. Additionally, Brock has the perfect voice for his ramblings, with there being a slight edge to his smoothness that demands your attention.  

Modest Mouse explores different sounds and textures through repetition. Choruses are made memorable by how strongly they get drilled into your head. Alongside this, many lines throughout verses are repeated for emphasis, spreading thought-provoking concepts throughout the direct core. This does a lot to develop the deep themes of loneliness, dealing with the meaninglessness of life, and exploring what America really is. The undercurrent of deep sadness is beautiful in the way that it’s expressed, sometimes through belligerent anger, and through open vulnerability at other times. However, I think the album does a lot of exploration and repetition and not nearly as much digging. “Truckers Atlas” is a track that starts out with beautiful instrumentation and a strong melody, but in its ten minutes, it doesn’t develop further. It kinda just sputters out, instead of building upon the sound that was introduced. With the focus on repetition lyrically and sonically, there are moments like this throughout the album that can make it seem more hollow than it is. 

This record is a bundle of so many elements and pieces that are juggled to explore such a complex topic. Modest Mouse dissects America in a way that’s not truly complete, but definitely vast. With so much to say on the subject, they choose to take their time by spreading their thoughts in bite-size pieces. While the effectiveness of this brings mixed results, with some tracks simply being lackluster, there’s so much personality brought to the album. The Lonesome Crowded West not only explains what the record is about but also shows where the band’s position is at. Sounds that are both lonesome and crowded create a mix of emotions that fill TLCW. Even if I feel like this record didn’t dive in as deep as it could have, there’s much power to be had in music that is as wide-spreading as this one.

Favorite Tracks: Lounge (Closing Time), Styrofoam Boots/It's All On Ice, Alright, Doin’ The Cockroach, Bankrupt On Selling, Shit Luck, Heart Cooks Brain, Out Of Gas, Trailer Trash 

Least Favorites: n/a

Enjoyment: Mid 8

Critically: Mid 8

Arbitrary Number: 8.4/10