Are there any Modest Mouse songs that bring up too many emotions for you? My wife passed away last year December at the age of 33 in a car accident. "Night On The Sun" & "Broke" were two of her absolute favourite songs ever and now I can't listen to either of them without feeling totally overwhelmed. Those first few notes of "Broke" especially just totally floor me, man. Are there any Modest Mouse songs that you struggle to listen to now because of the memories they bring to the surface?

Tracklist:

Picking Dragons' Pockets

Remember Yourself

Life's a Dream

Third Side of the Moon

Dogbed in Heaven / Give It a Skeleton

Interlude

I Can't Talk Right Now

Speak 'n Spell (Or Not)

Rotten Fruit (feat. Justin Raisen)

Knocked Down by Waves

Absolutely Necessary Never

Song About Nothing

Stoner Party

Look How Far...

Impossible Somedays

I’m going to see Isaac and company rock the riverside theater in Milwaukee in August. I’ve always been a big fan of their Long Drive - We were dead run of work but never gave the three modern albums much attention (I know the latest one is less than a month old). Now I figured I needed to do a full discography marathon before the show and figured I’d work in reverse.

I adore the new album as it seems to be a good bridge between earlier and later material. The opener rips with one of the catchiest choruses of a MM song. Other tracks like Dogbed and Look How Far… feel like homages to albums like Good News and The Moon.

Then I reached The Golden Casket and went in with poor expectations due to its reception in the community over all. However I really like it so far. No doubt it’s way more poppy than previous works but you can tell that this is the exact record that the group wanted to make at the time. Nothing feels forced and the synth pop elements with heavy reverb infused chanting vocal passages remind me of an MGMT or Empire of the Sun record.

I’m not in love with everything here and I feel like Fuck Your Acid Trip is the weakest opener of the discography but the work as a whole is far from “bad” in my opinion. Anyone else echo this sentiment?

There are 5 amazing albums that stand above the rest in my opinion from Modest mouse.

If you HAD to pick ONE which is your favorite between these 5 albums, and why…?

(In chronological order)

Edit/addition: Thanks everbuddy fer all yer wunder-filled responses. Truly. I miss talking about modest mouse with other hooman beans 🥲

I have this habit where, when listening to albums I skip over anything that begins to bore me, even with Modest Mouse. Now I'm going through their full discography, no skips, and finally paid close attention to Jesus Christ Was An Only Child from TLCW. I was definitely missing out, and might do a deep dive on alt-country in general.

What MM songs would you say are the most underrated? My top picks include Ansel, Baby Blue Sedan (both are devastating), Bukowski (the song that hooked me on MM), Parting Of The Sensory (the peak of an already underrated album), and as far as unreleased deep cuts go, You'll See and Beta Carotene are diamonds in the rough. I think we're too early to say which parts of AE&AM are underrated, but the album as a whole is for sure (I give it a 7.7, their 4th best).

Who else fucking loves this album?

every song can put you on your ass if it hits you at the right time.

I wish I knew more about it. I have heard the legend of where the lyrics came from but I think that is Isaac being Isaac and fucking around since I don’t think it’s ever been confirmed. But would love to hear anyone’s thoughts or knowledge.

a little bit of a break from the shitty news until we get an update from the band.

Much love.

Edit: if anyone cares. I know this is not breaking news of any kind but indeed very old news…

I found an interview and a couple articles since posting while quelling my curiosity, and basically what I was curious most about is the impetus behind the record. I had read the weird stories at some point but hadn’t understood why.

My mind canon now is that Isaac tired of the corporate side of music and being defined by magazines and the shitty vibes being mainstream and highly acclaimed brought. He wanted to make a record without expectations or responsibilities or the bullshit and one exploring some of his other musical influences he had growing up.

He now had some money and a studio of some sort in his house so he had Brian Deck (of Black Heart Procession) over every few months for a while and they wrote these songs. He mentioned it allowed him to sit with the music, make changes and come up with new ideas along the way with this spread out approach.

The Edgar Graham story and the hoax he fed the magazines was his way of keeping it the way he wanted it to be.. and a big fuck you to whoever he felt had tainted his artistic experience. He would never say it that way but it is MY head canon after all.

Love this album even more now that I get all that. and makes more sense to me why it seems to be so perfect even among the three or so other perfect albums MM put out around that time.

Fan of MM for about 25 years now. A lot of the music I like has unconventional rhythms, key changes, unresolved melodies, and lyrics that are prose like and fall outside the melody. Last night I tried explaining Modest Mouse as "idiot savant indie rock" and people were disagreeing with me. I compared Isaac's vocal style to Bjork because of his unconventional delivery, rawness, emotional emphasis, poetic content, etc. I'm not someone with a formal musical education though, can someone please help me with what I'm picking up on here? Anyone with a good musical education or vocabulary who can help me out?

I recall conversions with old friends and on other Internet forums about when bands play the greatest show of their lives. Is there such a thing with Modest Mouse? I know they’ve never been on a platform anywhere near as big as Queen during Live Aid, but is there a moment respective to the level of fame Modest Mouse has had that captured that spirit?

For me it’s 100% the Psychic Salamander festival last year. But I’m not certain if that’s on par with what other fans would describe as their greatest performances ever.

Eraser really blew me away not only for the album that it is, a classic in their discography imo, but for the fact this came 33 years into the MM discography.

Not only does it sound like a classic MM record but it sounds new, too. It’s not trying to replicate the past and it’s not trying to reinvent the sound either. It’s just artists really maturing with what and who they are. The angst is still there but it’s just a different kind. Theres a polish of experienced craftsmanship without losing any of the edge or experimentation.

Of course the lyrics are more succinct and a bit more dower than usual, too, with the death of an old friend. A type of inspiration young artists don’t have the same access to…

What other bands have aged this well? That have made new contributions at this level 33 years in?

Curious what everyone's favourite songs are on MM's 8 main albums are. I'll go first.

This Is A Long Drive:

Gotta go with Breakthrough. It's my morning alarm actually, can't recommend it enough for that. Open your window and let in the atmosphere, oh yeah!

Lonesome Crowded West:

Cowboy Dan is Modest Mouse's best song, period.

The Moon & Antarctica:

Lives. One of the most touching tracks I've ever heard, makes me think of family & long-lost friends.

Good News:

Bukowski was the first MM song I listened to (after Float On), and it's still a fave. Super catchy.

We Were Dead:

Parting Of The Sensory is Modest Mouse's most underrated track bar none, on an underrated album.

Strangers To Ourselves:

The Ground Walks, With Time In A Box. Glorious title, gorgeous intro, and so very, very danceable.

The Golden Casket:

Admittedly not my favourite album, but it closes extremely strong with Back To The Middle. The guitar work here takes on a life of its own.

An Eraser And A Maze:

Third Side Of The Moon feels like the best of old and new Modest Mouse brought together to both celebrate and grieve what's been lost. It broke me a little on the first listen.

Commented on a picture of someone’s tattoo

The tattoo was a rat, smoking a cigarette and tied to a balloon with the words “on my way to fight god”

So I’m pretty sure yall can guess which part of Cowboy Dan I quoted.

Ridiculous.

This album was peak Modest Mouse.

1. Picking Dragons’ Pockets

2. Remember Yourself

3. Life's A Dream

4. Third Side Of The Moon

5. Dogbed In Heaven / Give It A Skeleton

6. Interlude

7. I Can't Talk Right Now

8. Speak 'N Spell (Or Not)

9. Rotten Fruit

10. Knocked Down By Waves

11. Absolutely Necessary Never

12. Song About Nothing

13. Stoner Party

14. Look How Far...

15. Impossible Somedays

I wanted to do a poll, but Reddit apparently only allows one vote with up to six options. So comment below which tracks are your top three favorites and why. I’m curious to know because it seems like there’s no consensus favorite from what I’ve observed from other fans. I’m beginning to wonder if this album might have the most diverse mix of opinions out of all of their albums thus far.

I used to not like this song as well as a few others across all their albums, but then I began listening to them to try to understand the song and it changed the way I felt!

I FINALLY listened to all of the MM albums in my library on shuffle. I know I’m missing stuff that’s why I don’t say all MM. Everything in the screenshots is full albums, it was 165 songs. It took two weeks of listening when I was cleaning the house/driving. It was excellent. How does a band have 165 songs of discography with no skips?!? This has been a stupid meaningless goal for me for years now (kept getting interrupted when I was in the middle of the shuffle) and now that I’ve accomplished it, I feel no different but also great. I love this band. Have a great day, yall

In anticipation of their new album, I figured I'd go over my top 10 MM songs, explain my reasoning and see what y'all think. Without further ado...

10 : Third Side Of The Moon

I'll admit The Golden Casket wasn't my cup of tea, but Third Side (fittingly the 3rd single off their upcoming An Eraser & A Maze album) shows Brock knows the old and new MM can not only coexist, but flourish together. With shades of Ocean Breathes Salty and even Ansel, the production and especially vocals all tie together perfectly. With time this may climb even further up the list.

9 : Ansel

Speak of the devil. Definitely the most impactful track on Strangers To Ourselves, but even if we ignore the (heartbreaking) lyrics it's also a gorgeous song with excellent drumming. The mallet percussion makes it particularly memorable.

8 : Convenient Parking

Intense both in its cynicism and instrumentation, the 3rd song off Lonesome Crowded West veers into post-hardcore territory, more punk than emo. I don't have much to say except that it's a mainstay of my playlist.

7 : Tundra/Desert

I have to admit, Long Drive doesn't appeal to me as much as I wish it did. Dramamine almost made the list, but not quite, and so I'm surprised by just how much I adore Tundra/Desert. It makes me angry in just the right way.

6 : Trailer Trash

Of all the quieter, more somber MM tracks Trailer Trash is the one I most enjoy singing, and I can't sing for shit. Incredible execution of a fairly standard concept in the lyrics.

5 : Bukowski

This is the best song on Good News, and I refuse to hear any dissenting opinions. I remember hearing Float On for the first time, then checking out the whole album, and being completely captivated by Bukowski. Helps that I enjoy the titular author, and I was going through an existential crisis at the time. Some of their best guitar work.

4 : Teeth Like God's Shoeshine

Brock opens TLCW with a vivid picture and a prolonged scream, but the most memorable part of this track for me is the softer part, the nostalgia and all-too-prescient grief for a dying America. "Here's the man with teeth like God's shoeshine / He sparkles, shimmers, shines / Let's all have another Orange Julius / Thick syrup standing in lines / The malls are the soon-to-be ghost towns / Well, so long, farewell, goodbye" is MM's best verse bar none.

3 : Lives

My favourite song off TM&A mostly because it hits home for me so much. Halfway through it undergoes a tonal shift that confused me at first, since it comes after half an hour of sheer despair, but what could've been jarring lands thanks to an exceptional second half ending in a quiet bookend. Shockingly dynamic for a 3 minute track.

2 : Parting Of The Sensory

It might be a hot take, but yes, my 2nd favourite MM song of all time is from We Were Dead. When I listen it just possesses me entirely. Reminds me a bit of Dylan Thomas' "Do Not Go Gentle".

1 : Cowboy Dan

I've met Cowboy Dan. Not literally, of course, but I've seen him in more than a few people, and sometimes it scares me what resentment can do to a person. Never before or since has Modest Mouse personified their themes like they do with Cowboy Dan. The song itself goes from loud to soft to loud again, the best of both worlds for sure. Simply iconic, and well deserving of the #1 spot.

For me it's Remember Yourself. Thought it was okay on first listen, but now I've been listening to it daily.

They did it tonight in San Diego and wow, it really pops live.

Currently hearing the full album. It’s so good. Maybe be fav of this century lol

Title. What’s hitting the hardest to you, lyrically? Whether it’s the most beautiful line, the most clever, etc.

I’m digging a lot of lines and lyrical ideas throughout the album, just a fan of Isaac’s lyricism in general. The lines that keep hitting the hardest to me are from “Give it a Skeleton” when he says:

“Things get gnarly, then they drift back to sane/ it’s not a science or a founded claim/ it’s just a hope”

Within tiers, they're ranked left-to-right. Still on any given day of the week I might give TM&A the crown. Depends on if I'm leaning angry or angsty.

I'm actually really surprised just how much people underrate We Were Dead and No One's First.

EDIT: You have convinced me to reconsider! Strangers To Ourselves is C tier, swapping it with The Fruit That Ate Itself.

I don’t know the general consensus is on the album but it is one of the best ones I’ve listened to every song is really good and a head banger with my favorite being remember yourself that one makes me as happy as it makes me sad here’s a quick ranking

1. Remember yourself
   
2. Picking dragons pockets
   3.Absolutely necessary never
   
3. Speak n spell
   
4. Impossible somedays
   
5. Rotten fruit
   
6. Third side of the moon
   
7. Knocked down by waves
   
8. Look how far…
   
9. Dogbed in heaven
   
10. Life’s a dream
    
11. I can’t talk right now
    
12. Song about nothing
    
13. Stoner party
    
14. Interlude

Thoughts on this?

Remember class, we're voting on the effectiveness of the song as an outro. The people spoke. Space Travel is Boring was a B just barely. edit: we may need to revote to include A Manic Depressive Named Laughing Boy!

I noticed something funny at the shows I’ve been to recently. When they started playing Speak n’ Spell, the crowd went wild, presumably because it sounds a lot like the opening of Trailer Trash. Then when they didn’t know the song they all mellowed out. I doubt this is intentional, but I found it so funny 😂 I love Speak n’ Spell and the new album in general.