It's time to take a look inside my Top 30. There are still 10 of the band's releases represented in the remaining 30 songs, although I can assure you that my rankings are not deliberately trying to feature something from all of them. This is how I honestly rate the songs. I think that it is impressive to see so much quality, whether it's from 1996 or 2015.
After my initial run through, I am choosing the next five songs from a group of eight. The other 22 are safe for now.
Let's get started:
30. Black Cadillacs (Good News for People Who Love Bad News)
And it's true we named our children after towns
That we've never been to
And it's true that the clouds just hung around
Like black Cadillacs outside a funeral
And we were done, done, done
With all the fuck, fuck, fuckin' around
You were so true to yourself
You were true to no one else
Well I should put you in the ground
I've got the time, I got the hours
I got the days, I got the weeks
I could say to myself
I've got the words but I can't speak
Well, I was done, done, done
With all the circ-circ-circlin' round
I didn't die and I ain't complainin' I ain't blamin' you
I didn't know that the words you said to me
Meant more to me than they ever could you
I didn't lie and I ain't sayin' I told the whole truth
I didn't know that this game we were playin' even had a set of rules
We named our children after towns
That we've never been to
And it's true that the clouds hung around
Like black Cadillacs outside a funeral
We were laughing at the stars
While our feet clung tight to the ground
So pleased with ourselves for using
So many verbs and nouns
But we were all still just dumb, dumb, dumber
Than the dirt, dirt, dirt on the ground
Well wings on flames, kings with no names
Well this place just ain't got right air right now
You were so all over town but still so Crayola brown
Well you should run 'round yourself right now
And we were done, done, done
With all the fuck, fuck, fuckin' around circlin' round
At the start of this project I would have thought that Black Cadillacs would definitely end up in my Top 20, but there are just too many great songs ahead of it. The song has me instantly hooked with its sinister beginning and the superb opening line:
"And it's true we named our children after towns"
What a great observation. Why do we do that?
The song is action-packed and doesn't waste a single note. It's one of the few Modest Mouse songs that's shorter than three minutes.
29. Talking Shit About a Pretty Sunset (This Is a Long Drive for Someone With Nothing to Think About)
Oh, noose tied myself in, tied myself too tight
Looking kind of anxious in your cross armed stance
Like a bad tempered prom queen at a homecoming dance
And I claim I'm not excited with my life any more
So I blame this town, this job, these friends, the truth is it's myself
And I'm trying to understand myself and pinpoint where I am
When I finally get it figured out, I've changed the whole damn plan
Oh, noose tied myself in, tied myself too tight
Oh, noose tied myself in, tied myself too tight
Talking shit about a pretty sunset
Blanketing opinions that I'll probably regret soon
Changed my mind so much I can't even trust it
My mind changed me so much I can't even trust myself
Another perfectly crafted song and perhaps one of the most beautiful the band has ever produced. Imagine yourself at 20 and think about how little you knew about the world. That's part of the reason that this brutally honest line jumps out at me:
"And I claim I'm not excited with my life any more, so I blame this town, this job, these friends, the truth is it's myself"
I often think that most of the things we complain about or recognize as bad in our lives are within our control to improve. The first step is to realize what the problems are.
The other brilliant line in this song is:
"Looking kind of anxious in your cross armed stance, like a bad tempered prom queen at a homecoming dance"
What a picture that paints!
The music is not exciting, as it tends to be with most of my favorites, but what it lacks in excitement, it makes up for in other ways. The lyrics are just part of the appeal. This mellow sound offers a nice contrast to some of Brock's more manic rants. The guitar flows beautifully here, blending well with the rest of the band. It's a reflective song and it has a calming influence on me.
28. Ocean Breathes Salty (Good News for People Who Love Bad News)
Your body may be gone, I'm gonna carry you in
In my head, in my heart, in my soul
And maybe we'll get lucky and we'll both live again
Well I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, don't think so
Well that is that and this is this
You tell me what you want and I'll tell you what you get
You get away from me, you get away from me
Collected my belongings and I left the jail
Well thanks for the time, I needed to think a spell
I had to think awhile, I had to think awhile
The ocean breathes salty, won't you carry it in?
In your head, in your mouth, in your soul
And maybe we'll get lucky and we'll both grow old
Well I don't know, I don't know, I don't know, I hope so
Well that is that and this is this
You tell me what you want and I'll tell you what you get
You get away from me, you get away from me
Collected my belongings and I left the jail
Well thanks for the time, I needed to think a spell
I had to think awhile, I had to think awhile
Well that is that and this is this
Will you tell me what you saw and I'll tell you what you missed
When the ocean met the sky
You missed when time and life shook hands and said goodbye
When the earth folded in on itself
And said "Good luck, for your sake I hope heaven and hell
Are really there, but I wouldn't hold my breath."
You wasted life, why wouldn't you waste death?
You wasted life, why wouldn't you waste death?
The ocean breathes salty, won't you carry it in?
In your head, in your mouth, in your soul
The more we move ahead the more we're stuck in rewind
Well I don't mind, I don't mind, how the hell could I mind?
Well that is that and this is this
You tell me what you want and I'll tell you what you get
You get away from me, you get away from me
Well that is that and this is this
Will you tell me what you saw and I'll tell you what you missed
When the ocean met the sky
You wasted life, why wouldn't you waste the afterlife?
I associate the first verse of this song with a friend who lives near the ocean and recently lost someone close to her. I just love this line:
"Your body may be gone, I'm gonna carry you in, in my head, in my heart, in my soul"
The music sounds like something from a Cocteau Twins album at first, before developing into something more like Modest Mouse. The music is layered and soothing, although the lyrics are realistic and don't guarantee that everything will work out when we die. I like that honesty. The last line is particularly thought-provoking for me:
"You wasted life, why wouldn't you waste the afterlife?"
I'm surprised I didn't rank this song about 10 spots higher, but this project is teaching me a lot about what I feel about this brilliant music.
Here's a good live version:
27. Novacain Stain (This Is a Long Drive for Someone With Nothing to Think About)
When I can work out how it was
Then I'll tell you
TV stained my memories, yeah
I don't fit the shoes
Remember through sounds
Remember through smells
Remember through colors
Remember through towns with fear and fascination
On what was here and what's replacing them now
Interchange plazas and malls
And crowded chain restaurants
More housing developments go up
Named after the things they replace
So welcome to Minnow Brook
And welcome to Shady Space
Well it all seems a little abrupt
No I don't like this change of pace
Novacain Stain talks about the theme that dominates The Lonesome Crowded West, but it appeared on the band's debut and as a live song on Interstate 8. Both versions are superb. The album version is more polished, while the live version puts you right in the middle of the action. I love both. It's raw, but everything still works and makes sense. The guitars spiral off at tangents and the drums are particularly important to the sound. The second half of the song is just the band rocking out and I love every second.
Here's the Interstate 8 version:
26. Invisible (We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank)
Well listen dancing shifter, got a strong cell phone arm
Oh you're not invisible inside your car
No matter what consuming sort of mission you're on
Well you're not invisible inside your car
So absolutely mental gonna ramble and charge
No you're not invisible inside your car
No matter you just breathe it like your flies in a jar
No you're not invisible
I like the saline tea
Well it's true that the moon can pull it back and forth away from me
I should just let it be
Well it's true that the moon can pull you back and forth away from me
Well it had to happen sometime
Gonna shake like a charm
Well we weren't invisible not all along
No matter how many eons came and are gone
We were not invisible
I like the saline tea
Well it's true that the moon can pull it back and forth away from me
And there's the orphaned sea
We were never invisible but that I guess we didn't see
Of course this all had been laid down way before
We laid down for it all before we had a course
Of course, of course this all had been laid down
Of course we lay down
I like the saline tea
Well it's true that the moon can pull it back and forth away from me
And like the orphaned sea
We were never invisible but that I guess we could not see
We'll get crushed by the ocean, but it will not get us wet
This last choice had me agonizing over which of three songs to choose. All three are very different in style, so it is hard to compare them. I guess I won't get arrested if I change my mind tomorrow, but I want this ranking to be as accurate as I can make it.
We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank sounded a little too polished for me at first, but it has grown on me enormously over the years. Invisible is one of the few absolute rants on the album, and I like it all the more because of that. Brock is on the edge of madness throughout this song and the action never lets up. There is so much energy and urgency that it's almost impossible to avoid be swept along by it.
I sometimes think of this song while I am singing along to Modest Mouse in my car. I'm not invisible and anyone watching would probably think that I was crazy.
Are there really 25 Modest Mouse songs better than this? Join me for the next installment and make up your own mind.
Here's 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
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
75. Satellite Skin
74. Ohio
73. People as Places as People
72. The Waydown
71. Guilty Cocker Spaniels70. Florida
69. Missed the Boat
68. The Cold Part
67. Whenever You See Fit
66. Wicked Campaign
65. Lives
64. Beach Side Property
63. Bankrupt On Selling
62. Shit Luck
61. Little Motel
60. Satin in Your Coffin
59. Shit in Your Cut
58. The View
57. Ansel
56. Custom Concern
55. Sugar Boats
54. Dashboard
53. Education
52. Bukowski
51. What People Are Made Of
50. The Ground Walks, with Time in a Box
49. Alone Down There
48. Float On
47. King Rat
46. Lampshades On Fire
45. Be Brave
44. Night on the Sun
43. Interstate 8
42. The World at Large
41. Head South
40. The Best Room
39. Gravity Rides Everything
38. Tundra/Desert
37. Paper Thin Walls
36. Convenient Parking
35. Life Like Weeds
34. A Different City
33. A Manic Depressive Named Laughing Boy
32. Grey Ice Water
31. I Came As a Rat
30. Black Cadillacs
29. Talking Shit About a Pretty Sunset
28. Ocean Breathes Salty
27. Novacain Stain
26. Invisible
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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