Building nothing out of something - songs 80 to 76

I was ranting about Modest Mouse to a friend the other day and she asked me to pinpoint what it is that I love about the band. I was unable to answer. There are so many things, and some of the things I love aren't necessarily present in every song. She knows me extremely well, so I have to take note when she says that I love the intelligence. Thinking about it, I definitely do admire Isaac Brock's ability as a songwriter, as well as a guitarist. So many songs have clever phrases, and many of them are insightful. Although I am intelligent, I never had the maturity at 20 to recognize the kind of things that Brock wrote about when he was a similar age.

Anyway, let's get back to the countdown:

80. Coyotes (Strangers to Ourselves)

Coyotes tiptoe in the snow after dark

At home with the ghosts in the national parks

Mankind's behavin' like some serial killers

Giant ol' monsters afraid of the sharks

And we're in love with all of it

And we say: "What can we say?"

Walking with ghosts in the national parks

Coyotes tiptoe in the snow after dark

And we're in love with all of it

And we say: "What can we say?"

Another branch on the tinder-bound tree

Birds flying lower, lookin' downwards to feed

Mankind's behavin' like some serial killers

Giant ol' monsters, afraid of the sharks

And we're in love with all of it

And we say: "What can we say?"

And we say: "We're in love with all of it"

And we say: "We're in love with everything."

And we say: "What can we say?"

And we say: "We're in love with all of it."

And we say: "We're in love with everything."

And we say: "What can we say?"

And we say: "We're in love, with all of it."

And we say: "We're in love, with everything."

And we lie, we love to lie.

I almost soiled myself when Strangers to Ourselves was announced and then had a release date confirmed. I first heard Coyotes when the video was released and it surprised me. It's so laid back and atmospheric, and it's great to have that contrast of styles on an album. The song benefits from the added depth provided by the additional band members. Great video too:

79. Blame It on the Tetons (Good News for People Who Love Bad News)

Blame it on the Tetons
Yeah, I need a scapegoat now
No, my dog won't bite you
Though it had the right to
You ought to give her credit

Because she knows I would've let it happen

Blame it on the weekends
God, I need a cola now
Oh, we mumble loudly
Wear our shame so proudly
Wore our blank expressions
Trying to look interesting
Blame it all on me 'cause
God, I need a cold one now

All them eager actors
Gladly take the credit for the lines created
By the people tucked away from sight
Is just a window from the room we're bound to
If you find a way out
Oh, would you just let me know how?
Would you just let me know how?

Blame it on the web
But the spider's your problem now
Language is the liquid
That we're all dissolved in
Great for solving problems
After it creates a problem
Blame it on the Tetons
God, I need a scapegoat now

Everyone's a building burning
With no one to put the fire out
Standing at the window looking out
Waiting for time to burn us down
Everyone's an ocean drowning
With no one really to show how
They might get a little better air
If they turned themselves into a cloud   

While completely unintentional on my part, listening to Coyotes and Tetons back-to-back shows how similar in mood they are. Maybe Modest Mouse isn't going into uncharted territory with Strangers to Ourselves after all? Listen to the incredible lyrics. I particularly love the verse about "language is the liquid." These two tracks are on my Modest Mouse Atmospheric playlist. Perfect for when I am in a reflective mood.

78. The Good Times Are Killing Me (Good News for People Who Love Bad News) 

The good times are killing me, here we go

Got dirt, got air, got water and I know you can carry on
Shrug off shortsighted false excitement
And oh what can I say?
Have one, have twenty more "One mores" and oh it does not relent

The good times are killing me

Kick butt, buzz-cut, dickheads, who didn't like what I said
The good times are killing me
Jaws clenching tight we talked all night, oh but what the hell did we say?
The good times are killing me

The good times are killing me
The good times are killing me

Fed up with all that LSD
Need more sleep than Coke or Methamphetamines
Late nights with warm, warm whiskey
I guess the good times they were all just killing me

Got dirt, got air, got water and I know you can carry on
The good times are killing me
Enough hair of the dog to make myself an entire rug
The good times are killing me

Have one, have twenty more "One mores" and oh it does not relent
The good times are killing me
Shit-kicker, city slickers, who all wanted me dead
The good times are killing me

Get sucked in and stuck in late nights with more folks that I don't know
The good times are killing me

The good times are killing me
The good times are killing me
The good times are killing me
The good times are killing me

The good times are killing me
The good times are killing me
The good times are killing me
The good times are killing me

This song really comes to life when played live, but it often signifies the end of the show. The crowd always joins in and it's a great feeling to be a part of that. The theme is simple enough, but the lyrics are still clever. If you hadn't noticed before, Modest Mouse can play, and produce songs that could be described as beautiful.

77. Perfect Disguise (The Moon & Antarctica)

Well, you've got the perfect disguise and you're lookin' okay

From the bottom of the best of the worst, well, what can I say?

'Cause you cocked your head to shoot me down

And I don't give a damn about you or this town no more

No, but I know the score

Need me to fall down, so you can climb up

Some fool-ass ladder, well, good luck

I hope, I hope there's something better up there

'Cause you cocked your head to shoot me down

And I don't give a damn about you or this town no more

No, 'cause I know the score

More than any other Modest Mouse album, the songs flow together to form something larger on The Moon & Antarctica. My mind automatically starts playing the next track when I listen to most of the songs from the album in isolation. Perfect Disguise is another song from my Atmospheric playlist. It's freaking me out that the songs in this installment all have that kind of feel so far. I still think that it sounds better when the whole album is played, but it's such a poignant song. Here's the video:

76. A Life of Arctic Sounds (Building Nothing Out of Something)

As long as you're gone I can't apologize
For all the things that I haven't said and done

And 100 miles is a long drive inside a car
200 miles is a long drive inside a car
300 miles is a long drive inside a car
400 miles is a long drive inside a car
500 miles is a real long drive in a car
600 miles is a long drive inside a car
700 miles is a long drive inside a car
800 miles is a long drive inside a car
900 miles is a long, long, long, long ways in a car
1000 miles is A LONG DRIVE INSIDE A CAR!
1100 miles is too far inside a car...

I wrote my name on the sun
Hey, all right, I might be goddamned

A life of arctic sounds
Hey, all right, I might be goddamned

All the sad comedians
Hey, all right, I might be goddamned

I wrote my name on the sun
Hey, all right, I might be goddamned

A life of arctic sounds
Hey, all right, I might be goddamned

All the sad comedians
Hey, all right, I might be... goddamned

To end this segment, here's one that creates a different mood. This song is on my Driving playlist for obvious reasons. I love the way it slowly builds and then explodes. It's relentless in many ways, just like the subject matter. Brock ranting his ass off is always a good thing.

Enjoy!

If you're still following this epic journey through the music of Modest Mouse, congratulations on make it a quarter of the way down the list. If you like or love the 25 songs so far, remember that there are 75 which I think are even better. I hope that you'll discover something new or be pleased to see where your own favorites are ranked. 

Here is the story so far:

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

80. Coyotes

79. Blame It On the Tetons

78. The Good Times Are Killing Me

77. Perfect Disguise

76. A Life of Arctic Sounds

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 90 to 86

Building nothing out of something - songs 85 to 81
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