Modest Mouse returns with cool, strange ‘The Golden Casket’

Prolific is not an adjective that precedes Modest Mouse. The alt-rock band’s seventh album in 30 years drops Friday. “The Golden Casket,” the group’s long-awaited release, is quirky, brooding and angst-ridden. At its best, the band, which formed in Issaquah, can be wonderfully weird a la the Flaming Lips and Ween.

There are some cool, strange moments throughout “The Golden Casket.” Vocalist-guitarist Isaac Brock loves to get experimental with instruments and arrangements. There’s remarkably little space in the songs. The eclectic collection of songs is dense and provocative.

“The Golden Casket,” which is only the Portland, Oregon-based band’s second album since 2004’s “Good News for People Who Love Bad News,” packs some anthemic tunes.

The left-of-center “Japanese Trees” grabs listeners from its opening chords. The surprising marimba-driven “The Sun Hasn’t Left” is an uplifting, breezy gem that’s almost tropical.

Emerging from the pandemic, Brock is optimistic, and it shows with songs like the catchy “We’re Lucky” and the soothing “Leave the Light On.” Ignore the album title – this isn’t the final album from Modest Mouse.

The band remains restless and relentlessly creative. If fans can deal with the busy production, the faithful will enjoy how idiosyncratic Modest Mouse remains and how the group consistently delivers the hooks.

“Lace Your Shoes” is the most compelling and lovely tune from “The Golden Casket.” The sunny track is one of the most hopeful songs Brock has crafted.

Modest Mouse will perform Sept. 11 and 12 in Seattle with the prior week open and nothing happening until a Sept. 16 date in San Francisco. Hopefully, Modest Mouse can squeeze in a Spokane date, which would be its first local concert since May 2017 at the Knitting Factory.