By the end of this post, there will be 10 songs remaining. As I write this, I only know the identity of eight of those final 10 songs. I'm playing the seven I am unsure about to make the final choice on the five that will make up this installment. Then of course I need the order...
This is proving to be more difficult than I ever imagined. Let's get started:
15. Steam Engenius (We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank)
I was born in a factory
Far away from the milky teat
What's the use?
Oh, what's the use?
You cheered as I was split in half
A mechanical, sacrificial calf for you
Oh, all for you
Steam engenius you see?
Steam engenius enough to answer anything you need
But what's the use?
Human nature was installed in me
Well I did what's right, but naturally it wasn't natural
Still not my fault
No
I held in my hands the beating heart of a robot
He lost his car, it was sitting there crying out, waiting in the parking lot just for you
What a waste of time, what a waste of words, what a waste of strength
Well I spoke in binary and you for volume and for dizzying length
I was born in a factory
Far away from the milky teat
What's the use?
Oh, what's the use?
Birds flew out as I was split in half
A mechanical, sacrificial calf they flew
Oh, out they flew
Steam engenius to see
Steam engenius enough to answer anything you need
And all that speed
I held in my hands the beating heart of a robot
He lost his car it was sitting there waiting out, in the parking lot out for you
What a waste of time, what a waste of words, what a waste of strength
Well I spoke in binary and you for volume and for dizzying length
Both halves are the better half
Like a joke trying to make another joke laugh ha ha
Stasis is what you brought
Like a rickshaw getting pulled around by another rickshaw, rickshaw
In the past talking present tense
Gonna break it, gonna wreck it, gonna try to make it all make sense
Stasis is what you got
Like a rickshaw getting pulled around by another rickshaw
Steam engenius ya see?
Steam engenius enough to bring my own damn doom
What could I do?
I blame blame that blame had grew
Well deep inside and everybody knew it was them
It's all on them
Things rang of stories Greek
I didn't want it!
You gave me deity it was you
Yeah, all for you
I was born in a factory
Far away from the milky teat
What's the use?
Oh, what's the use?
I held in my hands the beating heart of a robot
He'd lost his car, it was sitting there crying out waiting in the parking lot just for you
I was thought up by man to think better than them
Then revered, and admired, and then destroyed by them
Ahh, even all that was my own damn plan
Well, what a waste of time, what a waste of words, what a waste of strength
Well I spoke in binary and you for volume and for dizzying length
I held in my hands the beating heart of a robot
He lost his car, it was sitting there crying out waiting for you in the parking lot going woo-hoo!
Stasis is what you got, like a rickshaw getting pulled around by another rickshaw
I like Steam Engenius because of the unique style that almost defies description. Now I am going to attempt to describe it! The most obvious reason I like the song so much is the way Brock delivers the vocals. It's crazy and almost out of control, but not quite. The music is frantic too, matching the vocals.
The subject matter is futuristic, with all the talk of robots. Being the geek that I am, I have read a lot of science fiction over the years. The lyrics remind me of humans creating artificial intelligence and then watching as it surpassed their own level of intelligence and became dangerous. The parking lot line reminds me of Marvin the paranoid android from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
I don't particularly care if the song is a metaphor or has a meaning that I can't fathom. I just love the way it sounds and how it makes me feel. It sweeps me along on a journey that's exciting to take. The placement of this song on We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank gives the listener a natural high. Admit it - you need to hear Spitting Venom right now, don't you?
14. The Stars Are Projectors (The Moon & Antarctica)
In the last second of life, they're gonna show you how
How they run this show, sure, run it into the ground
In the last second of your life, they're gonna show you how
How they run this show, sure, run it into the ground
In the last second of life, they're gonna show you how
How they run this show, sure, run it into the ground
In the last second of life, they're gonna show you how
The stars are projectors, yeah
Projectin' our lives down to this planet earth
And the stars are projectors, yeah
Projectin' our minds down to this planet earth
Everyone wants a double feature
They wanna be their own damn teacher, and how
All the stars are projectors, yeah
Projectin' our lives down to this planet earth
It's all about moderate climates
You gotta be cold and be hot for sure
And it's all about the moderate climates
You wanna be blessed and be cursed for sure
And the stars are projectors, yeah
Projectin' our lives down to this planet earth
And the stars are projectors, yeah
Projectin' our lives down to this planet earth
Everyone wants a double feature
They want to be in their own damn teacher, and how
All the stars are projectors, yeah
Projectin' our lives down to this planet earth
We've got the harder part, you've got the kinder heart
And it's true
I've got the easy part, I've got the harder heart
Ain't that true?
Right wing, left wing, chicken wing
It's built on findin' the easier ways through
God is a woman and the woman is
An animal that animals man, and that's you
Was there a need for creation?
That was hidden in a math equation and that's this?
Where do circles begin?
Where do circles begin?
The Stars Are Projectors is the longest song on The Moon & Antarctica and one of the longest in the band's huge catalog. That said, there's still something lost when it is removed from the songs surrounding it on the album. It's part of something much bigger.
The concept is huge. It could be a thought that someone had while they were high, but the theme is expanded upon as the song continues. What a cool idea though, that are our lives are being projected from the stars.
The opening two lines are pretty great:
"In the last second of life, they're gonna show you how
How they run this show, sure, run it into the ground"
I'm reminded of this quote:
Terry Pratchett — ‘It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die. That is true, it's called Life.’
The biggest difference between men and women could be summed up in this line:
"We've got the harder part, you've got the kinder heart"
While the song is thought-provoking, the thing that makes it one of the band's best is the sheer scope of it. It goes through several phases and can be reflective or driving rock. The drums drive some of the segments and the violin adds to the epic nature overall. I know that a lot of fans think this is the best song from The Moon & Antarctica, or perhaps even the best Modest Mouse song. I obviously love it, but I have two ahead of it on the album and 13 above it on this list.
Here's the video:
13. Lounge [Closing Time] (The Lonesome Crowded West)
She was going with a cinematographer
Everyone knew that he was really a pornographer
They went down to the dance and grind
And everybody was feeling fine
She was talking with syllable lisp
And everybody she knew was gonna get the twist
And they all went down and did the porcupine
And everybody was feeling high
You are so hot, I would like to steal your digits
And I'm so hung up on it, I would like to move away from it
We are so caught up with things
We should pull each others' triggers and I'm off
She was going with a cinematographer
Everyone knew that he was really a pornographer
They went down to the dance and grind
And everybody was feeling fine
She was talking with syllable lisp
And everybody she knew was gonna get the twist
And they all went down and did the porcupine
And everybody was feeling high
I've got a girlfriend out of the city
I know I like her, I think she is pretty
I've got a girlfriend out of the city
I know I like her, I think she is pretty
I've got a girlfriend out of the city
I know I like her, I think she is pretty
I've got a girlfriend out of the city
I know I like her, I think she is pretty
Last call, it's closing time
It's closing, it's closing time
It's closing time, it's closing, it's closing time
I'm on the road to God, don't know
My brain's the burger and my heart's the charcoal
It's closing time
God, don't know
My brain's the burger and my heart's the charcoal
It's closing time, it's closing time
There's a two-minute sequence in the middle of Lounge (Closing Time) that elevates the song from very good to fantastic. The band rocks its collective ass off. That's not to say that I don't like the beginning and the ending. The scratchy opening guitar fits perfectly and the closing section brings us back to reality with its slow rendition of a theme mentioned on the album's second track, Heart Cooks Brain. I think the song showcases Modest Mouse's ability to switch styles and tempo at will and I also think the song is extremely underrated.
12. Never Ending Math Equation (Building Nothing Out of Something)
I'm the same as I was when I was 6 years old
And, oh my God, I feel so damn old, I don't really feel anything
On a plane, I can see the tiny lights below
And, oh my God, they look so alone, do they really feel anything?
Oh my God, I've gotta, gotta, gotta, gotta move on
Where do you move, when what you're moving from
Is yourself, is yourself?
The universe works on a math equation
That never even ever really even ends in the end
Infinity spirals out creation
We're on the tip of its tongues, and it is saying
Well, we ain't sure where you stand
You ain't machines, and you ain't land
And the plants and the animals, they are linked
And the plants and the animals need each other
I'm the same as I was when I was 6 years old
And, oh my God, I feel so damn old, I don't really feel anything
On a plane, I can see the tiny lights below
And, oh my God, they look so alone, do they really feel anything?
Oh my God, I've gotta, gotta, gotta, gotta move on
Where do you move, when what you're moving from
Is yourself, is yourself?
The universe works on a math equation
That never even ever really even ends in the end
Infinity spirals out creation
We're on the tip of its tongue and it is saying
Well, we ain't sure where you stand
You ain't machines, and you ain't land
And the plants and the animals, they are linked
And the plants and the animals need each other
Well, oh my God and oh my cat
I told my dad what I need
Well, I know what I have and want
But I don't know what I need
Well, he said, he said, he said, he said
"I'm glad we're going, I'm dead"
The opening lyrics really hit the mark:
"I'm the same as I was when I was 6 years old and, oh my God, I feel so damn old, I don't really feel anything"
Then there's the chorus which isn't the easiest to shout along to while I am driving, but I try:
"The universe works on a math equation that never even ever really even ends in the end"
The music flows so naturally in this song. Everything seems like it was meant to fit exactly as it does. That's not always true of Modest Mouse as some songs sprawl chaotically, while somehow still making sense. I love all of their many styles.
The most thought-provoking lyric, for me, is:
"And the plants and the animals, they are linked and the plants and the animals need each other"
Those lyrics always remind me of Orson Scott Card's Speaker for the Dead, which is set on a planet where the few lifeforms are more than linked. One species is actually an evolved version of another seemingly different species. I like thinking about how the universe works and what it all means, if it isn't just completely random evolution.
Never Ending Math Equation may have a simple structure, but it's about a topic with infinite layers. I was delighted to add it to the list of songs I have seen performed live after attending this year's London Ontario concert.
Here is the video:
And now for the hardest choice of all for this round. I was stuck choosing between three songs for the final one in this segment:
11. Dark Center of the Universe (The Moon & Antarctica)
I might disintegrate into the thin air, if you'd like
I'm not the dark center of the universe, like you thought
I might disintegrate into the thin air, if you'd like
I'm not the dark center of the universe, like you thought
Well, it took a lot of work to be the ass that I am
And I'm real damn sure that anyone can, equally easily fuck you over
Well, died saying something, but didn't mean it
Everyone's life ends, but no one ever completes it
Dry or wet ice, they both melt and you're equally cheated
Well, it took a lot of work to be the ass that I am
And I'm really damn sure that anyone can, equally easily fuck you over
Well, an endless ocean landin' on an endless desert
Well, its funny as hell, but no one laughs when they get there
If you can't see the thin air than why the hell should you care?
Well, it took a lot of work to be the ass that I am
And I'm really damn sure that anyone can, equally easily fuck you over
Well, I'm sure you'd tell me you got nothing to say
But our voices shook hands the other day
If you can't see the thin air what the hell is in the way?
I might disintegrate into the thin air, if you'd like
I'm not the dark center of the universe, like you thought
Well, it took a lot of work to be the ass that I am
And I'm really damn sure that anyone can, equally easily fuck you over
Well, an endless ocean landin' on an endless desert
Well, its funny as hell, but no one laughs when they get there
If you can't see the thin air than why the hell should you care?
Well, it took a lot of work to be the ass that I am
And I'm real damn sure that anyone can, equally easily fuck you over
Well, died saying something, but didn't mean it
Everyone's life ends, but no one ever completes it
Dry or wet ice, they both melt and you're equally cheated
Well, it took a lot of work to be the ass that I am
And I'm really damn sure that anyone can, equally easily fuck you over
Well, I'm sure you'd tell me you got nothing to say
But our voices shook hands the other day
If you can't see the thin air what the hell is in the way?
Brock isn't shy about self-examination and I have to wonder if this song is how he feels, or once felt about himself? It's one of the more up-tempo songs from The Moon & Antarctica, but the guitar also occasionally shimmers and adds some atmosphere to the song. I'm also continually amazed by Green's drumming. You can hear that to good effect in this live version:
Well, choosing those five songs was agonizing. I'm left with my 10 absolute favorites, so I am sure that ranking those will be just as difficult.
The next installment tackles the bottom half of my Top 10. 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
15. Steam Engenius
14. The Stars Are Projectors
13. Lounge (Closing Time)
12. Never Ending Math Equation
11. Dark Center of the Universe
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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