Originally Posted by sidewinder

Modest Mouse - Strangers to Ourselves (2015)
I didn't have high expectations coming into this, as I hated their last album with a passion, but I had a sliver of hope that I might enjoy it (just as I did before the last one). They released quite a few singles ahead of the album but I only listened to the first one, which I thought wasn't bad. Including that one, I've enjoyed quite a few songs. One thing I hated about We Were Dead... was how obnoxious it all sounded, the vocals and lyrics just annoyed the piss out of me and I never warmed up to the album, even though I tried again every year or so since. Some of the material here is more toned down, vocally and instrumentally, allowing me to enjoy the song without feeling like I'm being yelled at by a clown. There are a few songs so far that are weirdly dancey and almost electronic, that made me twist my face a little as it was unexpected...but not to the point of a cringe as caused by some songs on We Were Dead. Though I'm almost certain I would enjoy the album more without them. Aside from that, there was a little bit of the obnoxiousness found on We Were Dead but in smaller doses. It's not an album full of it. Again, no high hopes overall, but it's already miles better than We Were Dead after one listen.