The Art of Making Music That Refuses to Make Sense
Song of the Day: “Picking Dragons’ Pockets” by Modest Mouse
Modest Mouse has always felt like the musical equivalent of a junk drawer filled with loose springs, antique skeleton keys, and a half-eaten lollipop—you’re never quite sure what you’re going to find, but you’re usually glad you looked. An Eraser And A Maze finds Modest Mouse settling into a comfortable, if idiosyncratic, middle age. It is a record that balances the polished production of their later career with the nervous, erratic energy that defined their formative years. Isaac Brock continues to lead the charge with his distinctive, conversational vocal delivery, grounding the band’s increasingly complex arrangements in a sense of urgent, sometimes frantic, sincerity.
In the context of their broader discography, this album functions as a more refined iteration of the experimental tendencies they began to embrace after reaching mainstream audiences. It feels less like a radical departure and more like a focused exploration of their already established toolkit. They no longer need to prove their versatility; they are simply utilizing it to build denser, more atmospheric soundscapes. The production is sharp, allowing for a clearer distinction between the layers of interlocking guitars and the rhythmic experimentation that has always been the foundation of their best work.
The most interesting option from the album’s cohesively weird flow is “Picking Dragons’ Pockets.” As the album’s opening track it serves as a statement of intent, with melody duking it out with layers of weird semi-musical sounds, all wrapped up in a fragmented structure (and the video is also super-weird and leaves you wondering WTF you just watched). While other tracks rely on traditional song architecture, “Picking Dragons’ Pockets” discards these norms, favoring an off-kilter, wandering composition that feels disjointed even by the band’s standards. By prioritizing an abstract soundscape over conventional melodic progression, the track demands a different kind of attention, standing out to me as the most polarizing piece of music on the record.
The Song
Spotify:
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/song/picking-dragons-pockets/1885992018
The Album
Spotify:
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/an-eraser-and-a-maze/1885991734
The Band
Be sure to check out the Audio Toxicity 2026 Bad Music Detox Protocol (AKA a playlist of songs covered so far…)