With 85 songs remaining, this task isn't getting any easier. There are 12 releases represented in the remaining tracks. I went through the list a couple of times and got together a shortlist of candidates for this round. After ranking those songs and playing them again in case I needed to tweak the order, I've decided on the songs for this installment.
85. Might (This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About)
I might
And you might
But neither of us do, though
And neither of us will
I broke every bone in my goddamn jaw
That's a lot, it's the last one I ever got
I might
And you might
But neither of us do, though
And neither of us will
Yesterday night I broke every bone in my jaw
Thought so hard, it's the last thing I ever thought
Songs don't have to last a long time in order to be effective. It is sometimes a good thing to break up an album by punctuating it with a shorter song. Might is about Brock breaking his jaw. That must be extremely annoying for a vocalist. At around 90 seconds, it's one of the shortest songs in the Modest Mouse catalogue. I think style and delivery are the most important aspects of music for me. I appreciate lyrics when they are written well, but the guitar, tempo, and vocal style are what really determine how much I like a song. This one is full of action.
84. Pups to Dust (Strangers to Ourselves)
Our hearts don't change from pups to dust
Couldn't see clearly, but I had a sense of what right and wrong was
Honest to God, I was honest as hell
I don't lie very often, but I lie very well
Give it away, take what you need
Love does not cost money, but it ain't free
We're learning slowly, equal parts of what you do, you don't
We don't remember
We don't remember just how we got here
Equal parts of what we do, we don't
We don't belong here, we were just born here
We remain the same (um, I'm not sure about that)
Or pretty much the same (now that's more like it)
From birth to grave, I couldn't see so clearly what I was or became
Oh I missed a spot (scrubba scrubba scrubba)
On my dirty thoughts
The way we feel about what we do is by who has watched us so
Aw how'd we get here, equal parts of what we do, we don't
We don't remember, we were just born here though
Oh what's the bother, equal parts of what you do, you don't
We don't remember, we were just born here
We don't belong here, we were just born here
I feel so anxious, mostly all of the time
Well if there's some point to this, then which one is mine?
We really don't belong here, we really ought to wander
We really don't belong here, we really ought to wander away
This song sounds incredibly slick and polished, even live. The lineup has expanded over the years and gives the band a lot of depth. The theme is our life and what we do during the course of it. I particularly like how the tempo increases near the end, just as time seems to move more quickly as you get older. The songs from Strangers to Ourselves are still new to me, even though I have listened dozens of times. They will probably climb any future list as I begin to associate people and memories with them.
83. Sunspots in the House of the Late Scapegoat (The Fruit That Ate Itself)
It was all the rotating eyes
It was all on the same postcard
It was all on the same damn shirt
Said to sleep in the same Sear's camp house
It was all in the great state parks
It was all on the same Greyhound
It was all so many miles
Beneath the dirty brown dirt
Twenty miles down the islands
The biggest mall on Earth
It was all in the same rest stop
It was all on the same damn shirt
It was all on the same Greyhound
Sunspots
In the house of the late scapegoat
Be aware the paint's still peeling
All muscle cars made of lead
I got myself a fine fine fine fine friend
It was all in the next grey ghost
It was all in the same damn place
The parts to pound attractive
Your feeling you owe on your size is bleeding
Sunspots
I like how the lyrics assault me with information, but what really makes this song is the second half. I'm not sure how to describe the music; it's just blatant Modest Mouse. It builds, soars, and engulfs me in swirling feedback like Cocteau Twins on speed. I wish it was a minute or two longer.
82. All Night Diner (Building Nothing Out of Something)
Yeah...
Yes...
Yes...
Have I told ya?
Have I told ya?
Have I told ya?
Have I told ya?
You could really get it on
You could really get it on
Have I told ya?
Have I told ya?
Have I told ya?
Have I told ya?
You could really get it on
You could really get it on
I was at an all night diner
The sign said "Triple X"
But they were talking about root beer
I'm just sitting down
Thinking about nothing
Looking at the thin air
Breathing up the oxygen
Have I told ya?
Have I told ya?
You could really get it on
You could really get it on
A guy comes up he's looking pretty 8-ball
Snaggletooth smile, sits down at my table
Puts his arm around me, starts to share his information
He said, he said, he said
He said, he said, he said
He said, he said, he said, he said
He said, he said, he said this is what he said
"I have sex, I'm always thinking about the pavement
So I can avoid premature ejaculation"
I got up, remembering to thank him
Better things to do so I'll start drinking now
Have I told ya?
Have I told ya?
Have I told ya?
Have I told ya?
You could really get it on
You could really get it on
Yeah
Have I told ya?
Have I told ya?
You could really get it on
You could really get it on
I'm in Tahoka, now I'm gonna hook up
With the parties, unfortunately we always
No one has any ideas, damn
Have I told ya?
Have I told ya?
Have I told ya?
Have I told ya?
You could really get it on
You could really get it on
Well, these lyrics really paint a picture. The delivery is almost hypnotic and I like the way everything flows. The image of the guy sharing his information makes me laugh. I bet we all have a few bizarre memories that compare with the guy in the diner. This song has grown on me a lot over the years. Repetition can be extremely effective. It almost sounds like something recorded in the 70s.
81. March Into the Sea (We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank)
If food needed pleasing, you'd suck all the seasoning off, suck it off
Well, treat me like disease like the rats and the fleas
Ah, ha, ha, ah, ha, ha
Bang your head like a gong 'cause it's filled with all wrong
Ah, ha, ha, klang, klang, klang
If you think you know enough to know you know we've had enough
And if you think you don't you probably will
Our tails wagged and then fell off
But we just turned back marched into the sea
Well, treat me like the sea oh, so salty and mean
Ah, ha, ha, oh, ha, ha
Well, treat me like disease like the rats and the fleas
Ah, ha, ha, ha
I'll be beating my heart's record for speeding
I'll be beating the record for hearts skipping in the dark
Our tails wagged and then fell off
But we just turned back marched into the sea
Well, we just turned around and marched into the sea
Take all that you need like my sign says for free till it's gone, till it's gone
Well, discard whom you please like the leaves off a tree
Ah, ha, ha, ah, ha, ha
Let's shake hands if you want but your both hands are gone
Ah, ha, ha, ha, ha
Treat me like the sea oh, so salty and mean
Ah, ha, ha
Oh, treat me like the sea oh, so salty and mean
Ah, ha, ha
Well, treat me like the disease like the rats and the fleas
Bang your head like a gong 'cause you call it all wrong
Move your tongue klang, klang
Klang, klang, klang, klang, klang, klang
Cut me down like a tree like the lumber or weeds
Drag me out of the sea and then teach me to breathe
Give me forced health till I wish death on myself
Give me forced health till I wish death on myself
Ah, ha, ha, ah, ha, ah, ha, ah, ha, ah, ha
Well, we all stumbled round
Tangled up in our cords
From our phones, VCR and our worldly woes
March on, march on, march on, march on
Well, march on
What a great way to begin an album, it's such a statement of intent. The vocals are urgent and quickly establish a mood. Brock's vocal style varies considerably, as does the band's musical style. This one is firmly in the rant category, and that style is responsible for a lot of my favorite songs.There's an almost carnival-like quality to this song, like so many of the tracks from Strangers to Ourselves.
The next installment will cover five more songs and I'll have it posted by the weekend.
Here's the ranking so far with links to previous installments:
100. Birds Vs Worms
99. Fire It Up
98. We've Got Everything
97. Dukes Up
96. Out of Gas
95. Strangers to Ourselves
94. Of Course We Know
93. Space Travel Is Boring
92. Styrofoam Boots/It's All Nice on Ice, Alright
91. Dance Hall
90. She Ionizes & Atomizes
89. Other People's Lives
88. Whenever You Breathe Out, I Breathe In (Positive Negative)
87. One Chance
86. Polar Opposites
85. Might
84. Pups to Dust
83. Sunspots in the House of the Late Scapegoat
82. All Night Diner
81. March Into the Sea
Building nothing out of something (overview)
Building nothing out of something - songs 100 to 96
Building nothing out of something - songs 95 to 91
Building nothing out of something - songs 85 to 81Building nothing out of something - songs 95 to 91
Building nothing out of something - songs 80 to 76
Building nothing out of something - songs 75 to 71
Building nothing out of something - songs 70 to 66
Building nothing out of something - songs 65 to 61
Building nothing out of something - songs 60 to 56
Building nothing out of something - songs 55 to 51
Building nothing out of something - songs 50 to 46
Building nothing out of something - songs 45 to 41
Building nothing out of something - songs 40 to 36
Building nothing out of something - songs 35 to 31
Building nothing out of something - songs 30 to 26
Building nothing out of something - songs 25 to 21
Building nothing out of something - songs 20 to 16
Building nothing out of something - songs 15 to 11
Building nothing out of something - songs 10 to 6
Building nothing out of something - the Top 5
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