The name allegedly came from Edgar E. Graham, nicknamed "Ugly Casanova", who wrote the songs- Isaac Brock has since confirmed that story to be made up by him as a way to escape interviews.
Sharpen Your Tropes:
- Album Closure: "So Long to the Holidays", a song about... well, saying goodbye, is the closer for Sharpen Your Teeth.
- Album Title Drop: For Sharpen Your Teeth in "Pacifico".
- Ate His Gun: It's implied that the narrator of "Hotcha Girls" attempted this, but couldn't bring himself to actually pull the trigger.
- Broken Record / Looped Lyrics: "So Long to the Holidays", and to a lesser extent, "Ice on the Sheets" and "Things I Don't Remember".
- Fading into the Next Song: "(No Song)" to "Diamonds on the Face of Evil" to "Cat Faces", as well as "Things I Don't Remember" to "So Long to the Holidays".
- Gratuitous Panning: A banging noise can be heard in the last minute of "Barnacles", and it goes back and forth through the left and right channels.
- I Am the Band: The band is primarily known as Isaac Brock's side project.
- Lyrical Dissonance: "Parasites", an upbeat little song about parasites infesting a dead body.
- Noodle Implements: The word salad lyrics of "Things I Don't Remember" are made up of these.
- One-Word Title: "Parasites", "Pacifico", and on the 180 South soundtrack, "Corcovado".
- Step Up to the Microphone: Downplayed. John sings alongside Isaac (above background-singer status) in "Spilled Milk Factory" and "Hotcha Girls".
- Surprisingly Gentle Song: Downplayed example, but "Hotcha Girls" is much softer and more somber than the other songs on Sharpen Your Teeth.
- The Remake: "Parasites" and the bonus track "Babies Clean Conscience" are refurbished versions of old Modest Mouse demos. "Barnacles" and "Ice on the Sheets" were also performed at Modest Mouse concerts some time before the Ugly Casanova releases, but they were incomplete at that time (both songs only having one verse each).
- Title-Only Chorus: "So Long to the Holidays".
