The Golden Casket

Modest Mouse - The Golden Casket
Critic Score
Based on 20 reviews
2021 Ratings: #533 / 753
User Score
Based on 509 ratings
2021 Rank: #978
Liked by 30 people
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CRITIC REVIEWS

100
NME

The Pacific Northwesters have turned in a psychedelic pop masterwork that picks up the positivity they first explored with 2004 mega-smash 'Float On'.

90
PopMatters

Modest Mouse’s The Golden Casket is a lively and soulful return; one marked by a distinct sense of clarity and appreciation of life.

85
Under the Radar

Modest Mouse prove they have the staying power to remain atop the indie rock heap with their knack for harnessing a whimsical energy combined with tight little nuggets of sound and various fragments from diverse styles and genres to create something entirely different that is both exciting and fresh.

80
No Ripcord

Though The Golden Casket shows Modest Mouse at their most accessible and tuneful ... they return to some of the experimental aspects that defined so much of their early work. 

80
Sputnikmusic

All things taken together, The Golden Casket is an unexpected triumph. It rejuvenates Modest Mouse’s formula, revealing shiny new highways to success without eliminating the same old reliable roads.

80
Slant Magazine

The Golden Casket is polished, meticulously constructed, and surprisingly buoyant.

80
Mojo

Tightly woven set is the first in six years for indie rock stalwarts.

80
Northern Transmissions

It’s surprisingly fresh and full of the kind of brooding you would associate with Brock’s songwriting but the edges here feel softened, shiny and secure.

73
Pitchfork

The band’s first new album in six years is a procession of pinging, clanging, reverberating tactile pleasures, an inventive backdrop for Isaac Brock’s familiar blend of forced optimism and unforced paranoia.

70
AllMusic

Modest Mouse's finest work since Good News for People Who Love Bad News.

70
DIY

This is not quite Modest Mouse at their best, but they’re not a million miles away from it, either.

70
Uncut

Those in thrall to Modest Mouse's well-honed blend of ramshackle punk-folk and predilection for dispensing off-grid wisdom will find much favour with the latest addition to their cannon.

61
Paste

Most of the songs on The Golden Casket don’t sound like they’re of a piece, and while the album has its moments, an overall lack of cohesion means they quickly fade.

50
Rolling Stone

Modest Mouse are making music the same way they always have, but it sounds more forced this time, like they had to work harder to find inspiration.

50
Gigwise

Modest Mouse fans will probably be satisfied with the sound of the record, but the overall organisation and narrative progression of the album leaves something to be desired.

20
The Needle Drop

The Golden Casket isn't as uninspired as its predecessor; it's more like ill-inspired.

CLJesse
32

Let me get this straight: this band still knows how to write a good song (as they show on "Back to the Middle") but this album still consistently sounds like shit for the rest of the runtime? How does that happen?

Modest Mouse is a band that is deeply important to me. They're easily my favorite indie rock group, and have even made my 8th favorite record of all time with The Moon & Antarctica. Thus, it pains me to criticize them. We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank makes me ... read more

dearsongs
NR

Yeah, I don't care. I really like this a lot. I've listened in the car, on some quality headphones, on my nice stereo setup. It sounds great to me.

*****

Modest Mouse just being here now is enough for me. Listened to this album a good 10 times over the past week and find it to be fun as all get out and super comforting.

OG MM fans called them sellouts for signing to Capital (if you are under 21 years old this would be before you were born).
The fans that jumped on at M&A called them ... read more

MasterCrackfox
79

Over the last two albums indie rock mainstays Modest Mouse have taken pretty significant gaps before releasing new material. In 2015, when Strangers to Ourselves came out, there was an air of excitement given that fans had waited eight long years for a follow up to the relatively well received We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank. Now six years removed from that album, I would ration that the mood is somewhere between anxious and apathetic; after a disappointing experience for the last go ... read more

AntonioCurry
40

Extremely boring, which is something modest mouse should never be.

Spamman
40

The arc of Modest Mouse’s career is similar to Green Day’s in my mind. They started out making rock that was a little to rough and lo-fi, but it at had irreverence and an artistic integrity to it that was charming. They eventually found their footing, only to then take a nose dive as they got more and more generic with each release.
In that case, this album is Modest Mouse’s “Father Of All”.

The opening track of this album “Fuck Your Acid Trip” is a ... read more

intbaggy
50

aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh

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Year End Lists

#16/Under the Radar
#19/Chorus.fm
#46/No Ripcord
#74/Albumism
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Added on: May 4, 2021