Perhaps the least-known Sub Pop records of the last ten years — okay, maybe Combustible Edison or the Blue Rags might be more obscure — Ugly Casanova’s Sharpen Your Teeth is everything I always wanted Modest Mouse to sound like but never found. What initially drew me to this record wasn’t Modest Mouse’s Isaac Brock, but Red Red Meat members Tim Rutili and Brian Deck, and the Black Heart Procession’s Pall Jenkins. I wish I remember how I found out about it originally, because I would credit whoever gave me the record, but alas I have no idea where it came from.
Compared to Modest Mouse (whom I can stand only in small doses) this is more stripped down, a little weirder, a little bit less in-your-face with the vocals, and definitely more avant. I know so many people who try to sell me on Modest Mouse but I just can’t make the leap. I don’t really like them. And yet, I really like this Ugly Casanova album.
This was the band’s only release, and the vinyl fetches quite a pretty penny on the open market. Enjoy!
Ugly Casanova
Sharpen Your Teeth
Sub Pop, 2002
MediaFire DL Link
01. Barnacles
02. Spilled Milk Factory
03. Parasites
04. Hotcha Girls
05. (No Song)
06. Diamonds On The Face Of Evil
07. Cat Faces
08. Ice On The Sheets
09. Beesting
10. Pacifico
11. Smoke Like Ribbons
12. Things I Don’t Remember
13. So Long To The Holidays
February 8th, 2011
Somehow I totally missed this when it came out … was I thinking I was too cool to listen to sub pop in ’92? Probably, major snob phase. Anyway, thank you for sharing!
I was going to comment that I’ve never heard anything by Modest Mouse but a quick search reveals that in fact I have 1 song of theirs on my computer, now I have to listen to it & figure out why it’s there.
February 9th, 2011
about as essential as nose hair trimmers
February 9th, 2011
brock released a few new songs recently on the soundtrack to a film called 180 south. i think only two of the songs have vocals, and neither of them are very good. there are also a few unreleased tracks/ep-exclusive songs (“diggin’ holes,” “baby’s clean conscious,” “to roads to go” (which was included in the demos for a modest mouse album so i don’t know about that one)), which are all better than the new stuff.
i just think of ugly casanova as “isaac brock just discovered tom waits,” but i think that’s mostly for the song “pacifico.”
February 10th, 2011
I grew up to this album. It is insane and beautiful.
Have been reading for ages – Thank you for reminding me much I love Ugly Casanova.
February 10th, 2011
wow… the dude who owns multiple catapilla records and claims to have no idea who spoon are posts an album my friends and i were making fun of before “float on” even existed. seriously, one of the least-known sub pop records? this thing has been in every borders i’ve entered in the last ten years. BONK.
February 10th, 2011
wow… the dude who owns multiple catapilla records and claims to have no idea who spoon are posts an album my friends and i were making fun of before “float on” even existed. seriously, one of the least-known sub pop records? this thing has been in every midwest borders i’ve entered in the last ten years.
August 10th, 2011
Thanks for posting. Some good music here.