Originally published in Verbicide issue #6

The story of Ugly Casanova is strange indeed. So strange, in fact, it took me a while to realize that this isn’t a crazy man trying to sound like Modest Mouse front man Isaac Brock — Ugly Casanova actually is Brock, performing solo under the assumed moniker of a seemingly mythological, mentally disturbed character befriended by Modest Mouse in the summer of 1998.

This character is a man by the name of Edgar Graham, who supposedly introduced himself to the Modest Mouse men as “Ugly Casanova” in ’98, and traveled with the band for a short stint, sharing songs that he had written until he disappeared into oblivion in 1999. Brock, Brian Deck, and several other collaborators recorded and produced this album as both a tribute to and attempt to relocate the original Ugly Casanova, Edgar Graham.

Is this Graham character a real person, or is this merely a fairy tale concocted in the minds of the major label princes of the indie rock world? Who knows. And really, who cares? It appears that Brock has returned to his roots, laying down classic “Modest Mouse-meets-Beck-in-his-K Records-heyday” rock music. Experimental, droning, occasionally tedious but never boring, Sharpen Your Teeth is an entrancing departure from the chunder that has been cranked out by Modest Mouse in recent times.

Brock is at his best with the acoustic songs, such as the opening track “Barnacles,” or the disputable highlight of the album, track seven, “Cat Faces.” I don’t know whether or not I’ve had the wool pulled over my eyes, but I hope this Graham guy surfaces someday to take credit for his work, and to complete the Ugly Casanova experience by collaborating with Brock. If he’s fabricated, or if he’s really just disappeared, this recording will suffice, because overall, it is outstanding.

(Sub Pop Records, 2514 4th Ave., Seattle, WA 98121)