The remaining 20 songs account for 1 hour 48 minutes and 23 seconds of the band's catalog. I guess you could say it would be my dream setlist. One of the things I have often thought about all the bands I like or have liked over the years, is how incredible it would be if I could choose the setlist for one of their concerts. With Modest Mouse, there's nothing I don't want to hear, but I obviously prefer some songs to others. I might die of happiness if I heard the remaining 20 songs played at a single show.
I'm not going to reveal which 20 songs are left, but you can work it out from the list in my initial post if you can't wait to find out. For today, I'll reveal the next five songs:
20. White Lies Yellow Teeth (7" Single)
You went out for a walk
I'm sure you went a long ways
Sorting things out in our heads
We'll forget in a few days
In the place before you're made
They give you all these options
Like if you've got wings
Or have you got feelings
Or can you breathe underwater?
He chose lifting ten times his weight
And natural body armor
On the day his mother gave
He came out as an insect
People talking soda pop
They talk it quite a lot
The opinions that I don't give
Are the opinions I don't got
White lies fall off my yellow teeth
I didn't convince you but I believed
White lies fall off my yellow teeth
I didn't convince you but I believed
All so plain it's all a plan
It's all so true of most everyone
The sky does not ever end
The air just gets much thinner
I knew a man who went on and on
About how he knew a man who knew a man
Who knew a man who knew him once
You can keep digging down and down inside
And even turn around or find in hell
You're find your digging up again
Some hippie told me, "Free your pets"
So I let them all go free
It didn't take no time at all
'Til they came running back to me
White lies fall off my yellow teeth
I didn't convince you but I believed
White lies fall off my yellow teeth
I didn't convince you but I believed
White Lies Yellow Teeth was an unreleased track from the This Is a Long Drive for Someone With Nothing to Think About sessions until seeing a 7" release when the vinyl version of the album was reissued. It's presence in the Top 20 tells you how much I love this song.
This is a track that relentlessly burns its way into your brain. It builds and builds, with numerous sequences where the band just rocks out. The chunky guitar drives the song and the drums have much more than a supporting role. This one is on my Driving mix and I often find myself shouting along.
It's a hell of a sophisticated structure for a band just entering their twenties. If songs like this are initially discarded, it speaks volumes about the band's other work. There's no way I would have left this off the debut album, but I am thrilled to own it now.
19. Parting of the Sensory (We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank)
There's no work in walking in to fuel the talk
I would grab my shoes and then away I'll walk
Through all the stubborn beauty I start at the dawn
Until the sun had fully stopped
Never walking away from
Just a way to pull apart
Dehydrate back into minerals
A lifelong walk to the same exact spot
Carbon's anniversary
The parting of the sensory
Old, old mystery
The parting of the sensory
Who the hell made you the boss?
We placed our chips in all the right spots
But still lost
Any shithead who had ever walked
Could take the ship and do a much finer job
This fit like clothes made out of wasps, aw, fuck it I guess I lost
The parting of the sensory
Carbon's anniversary
Just part it again if you please
Carbon's anniversary
Who the hell made you the boss?
If you say what to do I know when not to stop
If you were the ship who would ever get on
The weather changed it for the worse
And came down on us like it had been rehearsed
And like we hope, but change will surely come
And be awful for most but really good for some
I took a trip to the exact same spot
We pulled the trigger, but we forgot to cock
And every single shot aw, fuck it I guess we lost
Some day you will die and somehow
Something's going to steal your carbon
Some day you will die and somehow
Something's going to steal your carbon
Well, some day you will die somehow
And something's going to steal your carbon
Some day you will die and someone
Or something's will steal your carbon
Some day, something will die and
Somehow you'll figure out how
Often you will die somehow and
Something's going to steal your carbon
The thing is you will die
And you will probably just steal its carbon
Some day you will die somehow
And something's going to steal your carbon
Some day, somehow or something will die
And you will steal its carbon
Somehow you will die and you'll figure out how
Often you will die somehow
And something's going to steal your carbon
Some day you will die somehow
And someone's going to steal your carbon
Some day you will die and somehow
You'll figure out how often
Some day you will die somehow
And something's going to steal your carbon
You will die and somehow
It's going to steal your
I'd have figure out and find out, we were bathed in carbon
You will figure out that somehow you will
Some day you will die somehow
And something's going to steal your carbon
Brock's delivery in the first three verses is an inspired choice. It's calm and forces you to pay attention. The song is already sounding like a profound statement. The first lyric that jumps out at me is:
"A lifelong walk to the same exact spot"
That sums up how fleeting life is, and how meaningless it can seem when compared to the history of time itself. We're made of water, carbon and a few minerals.
Another great line is:
"This fit like clothes made out of wasps"
If you've ever worn an uncomfortable shirt, you know the feeling. I really like that description.
However, there's more to this song than calm, reflective lyrics. The second half of the song picks up the pace and becomes a rant with the whole band joining in. The violin is a nice touch too.
Here's a live version:
18. The Tortoise and the Tourist (Strangers to Ourselves)
Wake up, get ready
Wake up, get ready
What a wonderful trip's ahead
Well, wake up, get ready
Wake up, get ready
Such a wonderful trip's ahead
We get dressed as ghosts
With sheets taken from the bed
Inside our socks we hide travelers checks
We are tourists of the dead
So let's pack up
Let's go
So let's pack up
Let's go
Let's pack up
Let's go
Let's go
There was this tortoise, its shell was covered with jewels
And had been since time began
It knew the world through all its histories
And the universe and its mysteries
One day it came across a man
The two were talking
The tortoise offered to tell him
About the future and how the universe ran
Oh, the man killed the tortoise, took his shell
And with a song on his lips walked off again
So let's walk off
Let's go
So let's walk off
Let's go
Let's walk off
Let's go
So let's walk off
Let's go
Pack a lunch wander 'round
Toss the map on the ground
It isn't accurate anyways
We've been getting away
We've been getting away
We are strangers to ourselves
We sneak out
Drip by drip
Through paper cuts on our hands
Day after day
Nothing's quite the same
We are tourists in our own heads
So let's walk on
Let's go
Let's walk on
Let's go
Let's walk on (I think I feel ready to go)
Let's go
Let's walk on
Let's go
(I think I feel ready to go)
(I think I feel ready to go)
(I think I feel ready to go)
(I think I feel ready to go)
(I think I feel ready to go)
(I think I feel ready to go)
Social media and the Internet has greatly enhanced our access to music. We can easily check out bands that are new to us. I'm definitely in favor. However, there is one thing about music that it has ruined; I can no longer sit down with a new album without already knowing some of the tracks. I already knew half the songs from Strangers to Ourselves because of singles, video releases, TV appearances and songs played at some of the shows. A small part of the excitement is forever gone from the arrival of a new album because of that, unless you somehow manage to avoid teasers.
I mention all that because The Tortoise and the Tourist was completely new to me when I first listened to the album. Until that point, The Best Room was my favorite of the new songs that I had heard, but it took about ten seconds for that to change. That opening guitar and the drums kicking in had me hooked. This sounds like vintage Modest Mouse.
Brock's vocals are superb, with the delivery matching the music perfectly. The first verse foreshadows what is to come:
"Wake up, get ready. wake up, get ready, what a wonderful trip's ahead"
I couldn't have said it better myself. Get ready for the best song on the album and enjoy the journey.
The second verse also paints a great picture:
"We get dressed as ghosts
With sheets taken from the bed
Inside our socks we hide travelers checks
We are tourists of the dead"
But the verse that gets me thinking the most is:
"There was this tortoise, its shell was covered with jewels
And had been since time began
It knew the world through all its histories
And the universe and its mysteries
One day it came across a man
The two were talking
The tortoise offered to tell him
About the future and how the universe ran
Oh, the man killed the tortoise, took his shell
And with a song on his lips walked off again"
What a fitting metaphor for human nature. That sums up how greedy and shallow far too many people in this world are. I actually feel sorry for that tortoise and I'm being deadly serious. I want to befriend it and show it that we're not all thieves and killers. If some alien race or other visited us tomorrow and offered eternal life, we'd never trust them. Some people would sue for being denied the right to die and others would just kill the lying bastards. It's sad in a way.
If you have friends that you can trust, cherish them. Too many others would kill you for your shell.
The final line that I want to mention is:
"We are tourists in our own heads"
I live inside my own head. My thoughts are my own and they can get me through just about anything. I can only be bored if I am with other people who want to do something that I consider pointless. I'm also reminded of the scene in The Shawshank Redemption where Andy Dufresne knows that solitary will be bearable because he has Mozart in his head. "There are some things they just can't touch."
The Mozart in my head is Modest Mouse.
I was pretty gutted that The Tortoise and the Tourist wasn't played when I saw the band last month. I'll have to wait to hear it performed live.
It's only flaw is that it ends at all. Another three minutes would be most welcome.
Here's the video:
17. Bury Me With It (Good News for People Who Love Bad News)
We were shootin' at a mound of dirt
Well nothing was broken, nothing was hurt
But I probably really should have been at work
But when my free time's gone would you promise me this, that you'll
Please bury me with it
Please bury me with it
Well as sure as planets come I know that they end
And if I'm here when that happens
Just promise me this my friend
Please bury me with it
I just don't need none of that Mad Max bullshit
Well the suit got tight and it split at the seams
But I kept it out of habit and kept it real clean
But if it's getting faded, if it's runnin' outta thread
Could you do this for me my friend?
And please just, please, bury me with it
Please bury me with it
Well we moved to the left and we moved to the right
And sure as hell stayed out almost every single night
But if the party's over, if the fun has to end
Could you do this for me my friend?
Would you just please bury me with it?
Please bury me with it
Good news for people, who love bad news
We've lost the plot and we just can't choose
We are hummingbirds who are just not willing to move
And that's good news for people who love bad news
We are hummingbirds who lost the plot and we will not move
We have good news for anyone who loves bad news
We were aiming for the moon, we were shooting at the stars
But the kids were just shooting at the buses and the cars
So don't drink the water don't you breathe the air
And if it's gotten to that point then I have to declare
That you could please bury me with it
Please bury me with it
Well fads they come and fads they go
And God I love that rock and roll
Well the point was fast but it was too blunt to miss
Life handed us a paycheck, we said "We worked harder than this!"
Please bury me with it
Please bury me with it, oh shit now
We are hummingbirds who are just not willing to move
And there's good news for people, who love bad news
We are hummingbirds who lost the plot and we will not move
We have great news for anyone, who loves bad news
This song has always been good, but I'm starting to consider it one of the band's best. There's that Pixies vibe again, but no problem there.
The theme is simple; if the enjoyable things in life are taken away, what's the point in living?
One of my absolute favorite lyrics from a long list appears in this song:
"I just don't need none of that Mad Max bullshit"
If you've ever seen a Mad Max movie, you'll know what Brock is getting at. If your whole existence is a brutal struggle to survive, with everyone trying to kill you or steal what little you have, would you even bother living in that world? I grin every time I hear that line. It's just perfect.
Have you noticed how songs that mention the title tend to be one of the best on the respective album? The Tortoise and the Tourist mentions Strangers to Ourselves and now Bury Me With It references Good News for People Who Love Bad News.
There are at least two other brilliant lines in this song and I feel compelled to mention them:
"Life handed us a paycheck, we said 'We worked harder than this!'"
"We are hummingbirds who are just not willing to move"
I haven't even mentioned the music yet. It's exciting, reflective, loud, quiet and everything I would want in a song. I like how the drums are used and Brock's ranting vocals. There's guitar everywhere, and that's rarely a bad thing.
Here's a live version:
16. Fly Trapped In a Jar (We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank)
Of part and parcel,
Well we're already dead,
Well it's probably been said,
That it's always been said,
That,
One wing isn't even enough,
It isn't even enough,
It isn't even enough,
To leave,
One wing isn't even enough,
It wasn't even enough,
It wasn't even enough,
To leave,
(Ha ha ha ha)
I'm gonna' shake myself right out the door,
I'm gonna' take myself when it's finally over,
I'm gonna' let my own bad self take over,
I'm gonna' move my arm out with my shoulder,
And
One wing wasn't even enough,
It wasn't even enough,
It wasn't even enough,
To leave,
One wing wasn't even enough,
It wasn't even enough,
It wasn't even enough,
To leave,
One wing wasn't even enough,
It wasn't even enough,
It wasn't even enough,
To leave,
First off, Gary was on trial and drunk before we left bed,
As things got better was it hard to say that he had no idea,
Well I hadn't noticed but the people really noticed that they really didn't want us around,
So we all just opened up our mouths and walked to this town
Well I was walking just a little bit sideways and you were walking sideways too,
Well I hadn't learned when a front door can be used,
Here it goes now...
We had darkened doors so we didn't read what the sign read
Though simple enough it was to me really tough the ground needs to be fed,
Well I hadn't noticed but the people really noticed that they didn't really want us around,
So not a single one of us will ever leave town,
Here we go sir...
Our bodies were laid out,
They were laid for fifteen yards,
Well two feet above each of our heads was a fly trapped in a jar,
Well I hadn't noticed but the people really noticed that they really didn't want us around,
So every single one of us fed the ground,
Here we go now...
One wing wasn't even uhh,
One wing wasn't even enough,
Of part and parcel
Well it's probably been said,
That it's always been said that
We're already dead
Manic Brock returns with a vocal delivery that's right on the edge of sanity. I haven't got a clue what this song is about, but I love how it feels. We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank took a while to grow on me, but now I realize that it's full of good songs. Some of them are beyond good, and this falls into that category. The sweeping guitar frames everything well, but I just love Brock's vocal style on this song. The tempo change near the halfway point signifies an even crazier sequence.
Here's the official video:
As painful as it was to choose five songs to cut this round, I'll probably do the same thing tomorrow. It won't be easy. Thanks for reading.
As always, 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
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
25. Breakthrough
24. Edit the Sad Parts
23. Broke
22. Truckers Atlas
21. Tiny Cities Made of Ashes
20. White Lies Yellow Teeth
19.Parting of the Sensory
18. The Tortoise and the Tourist
17. Bury Me With It
16. Fly Trapped In a Jar
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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