Even if things get heavy we'll all float on
So, this is something I've wanted to do for a while now, and I finally have the right combination of bordom, interest, and time to do it. For whatever reason, I want to (at least once a week) highlight one of my favorite musical artists, explain what I like in them, and show some videos and lyrics of what I consider the artist's top-notch stuff. I invite everyone to spend some time and check out everything.
Who better to start with than my favorite band, Modest Mouse!
Some of you love them along with me. Travis and I are always rocking out to them (actually, I owe a lot to Travis for my affection for this band; he introduced me to a lot of their music and is my biggest fanmate), and Ryan just as frequently (I take credit for getting him addicted by giving him 2 albums to burn). Others... ask me to put on someone else. Whoever you are, I'm sure (I hope?) there'll be something in the post you'll like about them. I know more about them than is healthy.
Ok! Let's start with some stats!
Band Members:
*Isaac Brock- Vocals, guitar, lyrics and a plethora of other instruments on occassion, such as the banjo
*Eric Judy- Bass, backing vocals, occassional acoustic guitar and double bass
*Jeremiah Green- Drums
Johnny Marr- Guitar
Dann Gallucci- Guitar, keyboard, synthesizer
Tom Peloso- Fiddle, upright bass
Joe Plummer- Drums
*Core members
Essentially, the only people on that list that you really need to know are Brock, Judy, Green, and Marr. The others are not always around and fill roles as needed. Marr is the newest member, former guitarist of The Smiths and pretty damn good. He and Brock are definitely a great combination, producing great guitar work and writing some awesome songs together for the 2006 (and most recent as of this writing) album We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank. Brock himself is C-R-A-Z-Y. I'm not really sure how someone who can be such an asshole can write such deep lyrics. Eric Judy is my biggest influence as a bass player. He plays with a pick (as I do typically) and has a really cool, laid-back style. His basslines are often on the more simple side, but have a ton of soul in them. His sound is the first thing I listen for when I hear a Modest Mouse song. Jeremiah Green... I don't have much to say about other than he can speak a little bit of Japanese. I don't really pay attention to drummers.
Albums:
-Studio Albums-
Sad Sappy Sucker- 1994 (Modest Mouse's first recordings, actually released in 2001)
This Is A Long Drive For Someone With Nothing To Think About- 1996
The Lonesome Crowded West- 1997
The Moon And Antarctica- 2000
Good News For People Who Love Bad News- 2004
We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank- 2007
There are plenty of EPs, compilations, and live albums as well, including Blue Cadet-3, Do You Connect?, Building Nothing Out Of Something, and Baron Von Bullshit Rides Again. I possess all of the studio albums except Sad Sappy Sucker, because I'm a MM geek.
http://eardrumsmusic.com/wp-content/uploads/image/modest.jpg We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank, showing off the awesome "anchored balloon" emblem. Those of you who have seen the Modest Mouse shirts I made have seen this emblem before.
Now then, on to the good stuff!
I figured I would start with my favorite song by Modest Mouse, and my favorite song in general, "Missed The Boat". I'll put the video first and then the lyrics, highlighting the parts of the lyrics that are important to me.
-Missed The Boat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3VoDfLxDu8&feature=related -There was a contest for fans to make a video for this song. This guy didn't win because he's from Germany and thus ineligible, but I like this one more than the official video with the robot. Granted, the robot one is pretty sweet too, but I think this one better fits the band's style.
While we're on the subject
Could we change the subject now?
I was knocking on your ear's door
But you were always out
Looking towards the future
We were begging for the past
Well we know we had the good things
But those never seem to last
Oh please just last
Everyone's unhappy
Everyone's ashamed
Well we all just got caught lookin' at
Somebody else's page
Well nothin' ever went
Quite exactly as we planned
Our ideas held no water
But we used them like a dam
Ohhhh and we carried it all so well
As if we got a new position
Ohhh and I'll laugh all the way to hell
Sayin' "Yes this a fine promotion!"
Ohhh and I'll laugh all the way to hell
Of course everyone goes crazy
Over such and such and such
We made ourselves a pillar
We just used it as a crutch
We were certainly uncertain
At least I'm pretty sure I am
Well we didn't need the water
But we just built that go god damn!
Ohhh and I know this of myself
I assume as much for other people
Ohhh and I know this of myself
We were listening more for life's end gong
Than the sound of life's sweet bells
Was it ever worth it?
Was there all that much to gain?
Well we knew we missed the boat
And we knew we missed the plane
We didn't read the invite
We just danced at our own wake
All our favorites were a'playin'
So we could shake, shake, shake, shake, shake!
Tiny curtains opened
And we heard the tiny clap of little hands
A tiny man would tell a little joke
And get tiny laugh from all them folks
Driftin' round on bubbles then
Thinking it was us that carried them
When we'd finally got it figured out
That we had truly missed the boat
Ohhh and we carried it all so well
As if we got a new position
Ohhh and we owned all the tools ourselves
But lacked the skills to make a shelf
Ohhh what useless tools- ourselves
Ahhhhhh so good! I love everything about this song. The guitar riffs are catchy and have a lot of personality. The solo is skillful, but focuses more on texture than being show-offy. The song has a sad tone to it, in a way more that pulls at your heart rather than depresses you. The lyrics aren't complaining; they're lamenting. I can't relate to this song enough, because for some reason I find it very comforting. Probably because while the subject matter is wishing you had the things you've lost, it also has an undertone of "this is the way things are... all you can do now is laugh to spite things". Any band I would be willing to be a part of MUST cover this song... no compromise.
-Float On
This is the song most people know them for and that is by no means a bad thing. This was the first song I heard from them and I'm willing to say it was the catalyst that led me to the band that has greatly affected my life. So I owe this song a lot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLkC8l3nJro - So trippy and odd! Distinct in a way only Modest Mouse can be. I can't imagine it being done any other way
I backed my car into a cop car the other day
Well he just drove off, sometimes life's ok
I ran my mouth off a bit too much oh what did I say!?
Well you just laughed it off it was all ok
And we'll all float on ok
And we'll all float on ok
And we'll all float on ok
And we'll all float on anyway
Well that fake Jamaican took every last dime with that scam
It was worth it just to learn some slight of hand
Bad news comes, don't you worry even when it lands
Good news will work its way to all them plans
We both got fired on exactly the same day
Well we'll float on good news is on the way
And we'll all float on ok
And we'll all float on ok
And we'll all float on ok
And we'll all float on alright
Already we'll all float on
Now don't you worry we'll
all float on alright
already we'll all float on alright
Now don't you worry
we'll all float on
Alright already
And we'll all float on alright
Already we'll all float on alright
Don't worry even if things end up a bit too heavy
We'll all float on alright
Already we'll all float on
Alright already we'll all float on
Ok don't worry we'll all float on
Even if things get heavy
We'll all float on alright
Already we'll all float alright
Don't you worry we'll all float on we'll
All float on
Not the deepest of their songs lyric-wise, but a real mood-lifter. On the album, this song is preceded by a little horn intro and then "The World At Large", created a nice sync-up effect if you play all 3 in order. I like albums that flow. Actually, now that I think about it, Good News For People Who Love Bad News was the first real album I ever bought, along with Give Up by The Postal Service on the same day. Best purchase I've ever made musically. This song is pretty easy to play for all instruments involved... but it's the whole package that really makes it one of my favorite songs ever.
-Gravity Rides Everything
This comes The Moon and Antarctica, the album that was the band's first big use of echo effects and the like. Their sound was really cultivated here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZbcFvjRnrw - if there ever was a video for this song (an official one, that is), I can't find it on youtube. This video is pretty crappy, but just minimize it and listen to the song itself.
Ohhhh gotta see
Gotta know right now
What's that writing on your
Everything
It isn't anything at all
Ohhhh gotta see
Gotta know right now
What's that writing on your
shelves, and the bathrooms, and the bad motels
No one really cared for it at all
Nothing gravity planned
Early, early in the morning
It pulls out under
My sore feet
I wanna go back to sleep
And emotions
And the things that you say
It all will fall
Fall right into place
As fruit drops
Flesh it sags
Everything will
Fall right into place
When we die
Some sink and some lay
But at least I
Don't see you float away
And all the spilt milk
Sex and weight
It all will fall
Fall right into place
It's somewhat existentialist, but not necessarily in a bad way. I listen to this song when I just need to chill and sort things out. The mix of acoustic with echoey clean electric guitar creates a really good mood. Modest Mouse has a lot of songs about dealing with life the way it really is. This is one of their best conveyances of this idea. Listen and relax.
Ok, it's 4:20 in the morning and I think lj is running out of room for this entry (not sure). This was a lot of fun to do. I haven't nearly done enough with Modest Mouse yet, but I'll definitely do a part 2 in the future (I really couldn't care less if anyone reads these music blurbs because they're so entertaining to do). Expect another band very soon!
Who better to start with than my favorite band, Modest Mouse!
Some of you love them along with me. Travis and I are always rocking out to them (actually, I owe a lot to Travis for my affection for this band; he introduced me to a lot of their music and is my biggest fanmate), and Ryan just as frequently (I take credit for getting him addicted by giving him 2 albums to burn). Others... ask me to put on someone else. Whoever you are, I'm sure (I hope?) there'll be something in the post you'll like about them. I know more about them than is healthy.
Ok! Let's start with some stats!
Band Members:
*Isaac Brock- Vocals, guitar, lyrics and a plethora of other instruments on occassion, such as the banjo
*Eric Judy- Bass, backing vocals, occassional acoustic guitar and double bass
*Jeremiah Green- Drums
Johnny Marr- Guitar
Dann Gallucci- Guitar, keyboard, synthesizer
Tom Peloso- Fiddle, upright bass
Joe Plummer- Drums
*Core members
Essentially, the only people on that list that you really need to know are Brock, Judy, Green, and Marr. The others are not always around and fill roles as needed. Marr is the newest member, former guitarist of The Smiths and pretty damn good. He and Brock are definitely a great combination, producing great guitar work and writing some awesome songs together for the 2006 (and most recent as of this writing) album We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank. Brock himself is C-R-A-Z-Y. I'm not really sure how someone who can be such an asshole can write such deep lyrics. Eric Judy is my biggest influence as a bass player. He plays with a pick (as I do typically) and has a really cool, laid-back style. His basslines are often on the more simple side, but have a ton of soul in them. His sound is the first thing I listen for when I hear a Modest Mouse song. Jeremiah Green... I don't have much to say about other than he can speak a little bit of Japanese. I don't really pay attention to drummers.
Albums:
-Studio Albums-
Sad Sappy Sucker- 1994 (Modest Mouse's first recordings, actually released in 2001)
This Is A Long Drive For Someone With Nothing To Think About- 1996
The Lonesome Crowded West- 1997
The Moon And Antarctica- 2000
Good News For People Who Love Bad News- 2004
We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank- 2007
There are plenty of EPs, compilations, and live albums as well, including Blue Cadet-3, Do You Connect?, Building Nothing Out Of Something, and Baron Von Bullshit Rides Again. I possess all of the studio albums except Sad Sappy Sucker, because I'm a MM geek.
http://eardrumsmusic.com/wp-content/uploads/image/modest.jpg We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank, showing off the awesome "anchored balloon" emblem. Those of you who have seen the Modest Mouse shirts I made have seen this emblem before.
Now then, on to the good stuff!
I figured I would start with my favorite song by Modest Mouse, and my favorite song in general, "Missed The Boat". I'll put the video first and then the lyrics, highlighting the parts of the lyrics that are important to me.
-Missed The Boat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3VoDfLxDu8&feature=related -There was a contest for fans to make a video for this song. This guy didn't win because he's from Germany and thus ineligible, but I like this one more than the official video with the robot. Granted, the robot one is pretty sweet too, but I think this one better fits the band's style.
While we're on the subject
Could we change the subject now?
I was knocking on your ear's door
But you were always out
Looking towards the future
We were begging for the past
Well we know we had the good things
But those never seem to last
Oh please just last
Everyone's unhappy
Everyone's ashamed
Well we all just got caught lookin' at
Somebody else's page
Well nothin' ever went
Quite exactly as we planned
Our ideas held no water
But we used them like a dam
Ohhhh and we carried it all so well
As if we got a new position
Ohhh and I'll laugh all the way to hell
Sayin' "Yes this a fine promotion!"
Ohhh and I'll laugh all the way to hell
Of course everyone goes crazy
Over such and such and such
We made ourselves a pillar
We just used it as a crutch
We were certainly uncertain
At least I'm pretty sure I am
Well we didn't need the water
But we just built that go god damn!
Ohhh and I know this of myself
I assume as much for other people
Ohhh and I know this of myself
We were listening more for life's end gong
Than the sound of life's sweet bells
Was it ever worth it?
Was there all that much to gain?
Well we knew we missed the boat
And we knew we missed the plane
We didn't read the invite
We just danced at our own wake
All our favorites were a'playin'
So we could shake, shake, shake, shake, shake!
Tiny curtains opened
And we heard the tiny clap of little hands
A tiny man would tell a little joke
And get tiny laugh from all them folks
Driftin' round on bubbles then
Thinking it was us that carried them
When we'd finally got it figured out
That we had truly missed the boat
Ohhh and we carried it all so well
As if we got a new position
Ohhh and we owned all the tools ourselves
But lacked the skills to make a shelf
Ohhh what useless tools- ourselves
Ahhhhhh so good! I love everything about this song. The guitar riffs are catchy and have a lot of personality. The solo is skillful, but focuses more on texture than being show-offy. The song has a sad tone to it, in a way more that pulls at your heart rather than depresses you. The lyrics aren't complaining; they're lamenting. I can't relate to this song enough, because for some reason I find it very comforting. Probably because while the subject matter is wishing you had the things you've lost, it also has an undertone of "this is the way things are... all you can do now is laugh to spite things". Any band I would be willing to be a part of MUST cover this song... no compromise.
-Float On
This is the song most people know them for and that is by no means a bad thing. This was the first song I heard from them and I'm willing to say it was the catalyst that led me to the band that has greatly affected my life. So I owe this song a lot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLkC8l3nJro - So trippy and odd! Distinct in a way only Modest Mouse can be. I can't imagine it being done any other way
I backed my car into a cop car the other day
Well he just drove off, sometimes life's ok
I ran my mouth off a bit too much oh what did I say!?
Well you just laughed it off it was all ok
And we'll all float on ok
And we'll all float on ok
And we'll all float on ok
And we'll all float on anyway
Well that fake Jamaican took every last dime with that scam
It was worth it just to learn some slight of hand
Bad news comes, don't you worry even when it lands
Good news will work its way to all them plans
We both got fired on exactly the same day
Well we'll float on good news is on the way
And we'll all float on ok
And we'll all float on ok
And we'll all float on ok
And we'll all float on alright
Already we'll all float on
Now don't you worry we'll
all float on alright
already we'll all float on alright
Now don't you worry
we'll all float on
Alright already
And we'll all float on alright
Already we'll all float on alright
Don't worry even if things end up a bit too heavy
We'll all float on alright
Already we'll all float on
Alright already we'll all float on
Ok don't worry we'll all float on
Even if things get heavy
We'll all float on alright
Already we'll all float alright
Don't you worry we'll all float on we'll
All float on
Not the deepest of their songs lyric-wise, but a real mood-lifter. On the album, this song is preceded by a little horn intro and then "The World At Large", created a nice sync-up effect if you play all 3 in order. I like albums that flow. Actually, now that I think about it, Good News For People Who Love Bad News was the first real album I ever bought, along with Give Up by The Postal Service on the same day. Best purchase I've ever made musically. This song is pretty easy to play for all instruments involved... but it's the whole package that really makes it one of my favorite songs ever.
-Gravity Rides Everything
This comes The Moon and Antarctica, the album that was the band's first big use of echo effects and the like. Their sound was really cultivated here.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZbcFvjRnrw - if there ever was a video for this song (an official one, that is), I can't find it on youtube. This video is pretty crappy, but just minimize it and listen to the song itself.
Ohhhh gotta see
Gotta know right now
What's that writing on your
Everything
It isn't anything at all
Ohhhh gotta see
Gotta know right now
What's that writing on your
shelves, and the bathrooms, and the bad motels
No one really cared for it at all
Nothing gravity planned
Early, early in the morning
It pulls out under
My sore feet
I wanna go back to sleep
And emotions
And the things that you say
It all will fall
Fall right into place
As fruit drops
Flesh it sags
Everything will
Fall right into place
When we die
Some sink and some lay
But at least I
Don't see you float away
And all the spilt milk
Sex and weight
It all will fall
Fall right into place
It's somewhat existentialist, but not necessarily in a bad way. I listen to this song when I just need to chill and sort things out. The mix of acoustic with echoey clean electric guitar creates a really good mood. Modest Mouse has a lot of songs about dealing with life the way it really is. This is one of their best conveyances of this idea. Listen and relax.
Ok, it's 4:20 in the morning and I think lj is running out of room for this entry (not sure). This was a lot of fun to do. I haven't nearly done enough with Modest Mouse yet, but I'll definitely do a part 2 in the future (I really couldn't care less if anyone reads these music blurbs because they're so entertaining to do). Expect another band very soon!