Progression is inherent with music and because of that, albums will age. Production techniques will sound dusty with each anniversary of an album’s release and once-innovative ideas will sound run of the mill after they’re replicated and evolved. But some records age gracefully, and Modest Mouse’s 1997 record, “The Lonesome Crowded West”, is just as evocative and striking as it was upon release.

Nov. 18 was the 22nd birthday of Modest Mouse’s emo opus. “The Lonesome Crowded West”, released through the now-defunct Up Records, didn’t appear on any Billboard Charts. Yet Pitchfork ranked it as the 29th best album of the 1990s and RateYourMusic users have scored it as the 124th best album of all time. When revisiting the record, it’s easy to see why it didn’t make a commercial impact but resonated with indie fans.

With instrumental backbones from bassist Eric Judy and drummer Jeremiah Green, lead singer, songwriter and guitarist Isaac Brock guides the listener through a 74-minute dive into his thoughts on commercialism, isolation and his own mental health.

Those paths are well-traveled by the album’s emo contemporaries. But where American Football’s self-titled debut is melancholic and dreamy and Weezer’s “Pinkerton” is depressed pop, “The Lonesome Crowded West” is sheer anger at the world around Brock.

Take the album for a spin and you’re first met with the crunchy, “Teeth Like God’s Shoeshine”. The six-minute thesis alludes to the rest of the record by critiquing American culture and mental health backed by crunchy guitars.

“From the top of ocean, yeah/From the top of the sky, godd—/Well I get claustrophobic/I can, I know that you can,” Brock shouts.

The tempo slows down in the chorus as Brock croons, “See the man with teeth like God’s shoeshine he sparkles, simmers, shines/Let’s all have another Orange Julius, thick syrup floating in molasses/The malls are the soon-to-be-ghost towns/Well so long, farewell, goodbye.”

The imagery from the first song is replicated throughout the record.

On the following song, “Heart Cooks Brain”, Brock reflects on letting his emotions get the best of him. As he puts it, his “brain is the burger” and his “heart’s the charcoal.”

It’s brave for someone to admit to their mental faults, and that’s the strength of the entire album.

The most striking characteristic on “The Lonesome Crowded West” is its intimacy. Songs like “Trailer Trash” and “Cowboy Dan” embrace dark lyrics and instrumentals to evoke the desperateness of the songs’ narrators. The former is a tune about Brock’s time living in trailer parks and a shed in elementary school. The soft guitars and defeated singing from Brock give you an unfiltered look into his life. The latter, “Cowboy Dan”, is a psychedelic country song about a grown man who sees himself as a failure. The soundscape of the song is just as desolate as Dan’s attitude with spooky guitars, a dreary bass and tepid drumming.

The Lonesome Crowded West is a milestone in emo and indie rock. It established Modest Mouse as indie stalwarts and paved the way for future success with their follow-up albums, “The Moon & Antarctica” and “Good News For People Who Love Bad News”.

Twenty-two years later, the stories and instrumentals on “The Lonesome Crowded West” are just as expressive and truthful as it was upon release.

At its best, music is honest, thought provoking and evocative, and that’s why “The Lonesome Crowded West” will continue to stand the test of time.

4.5/5

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