Stylus didn't like the record much either, and there seems to be a backlash afoot to Modest Mouse's move toward the mainstream.
There's a lot of love recently for the new !!! and LCD Soundsystem records which I don't get. And Patrick Wolf? Panda Bear?? Just the album covers scare me. Indie record reviewers are redrawing the battle lines that separate the cool kids from the rest of us (namely, me).
I'm falling out of touch; getting old maybe. Just like Modest Mouse themselves. And if the record is about anything so far, it seems to be about middle aged angst, mortality, and death. I've only listened to it once so my knowledge and/or impressions will deepen and change.
In terms of criticisms, the stuff I don't really like is the same stuff that annoyed me (a little) on earlier albums. The "I Love Tom Waits", barky dog delivery. The temptation to dirge.
If anything, it's fun to try to pick out which guitar bits might be Marr's and imagine Isaac as the anti-Morrissey (but not in a bad way, just aesthetically).
So I'll give it some time to soak in and post updates if anything amazing reveals itself.
