Modest Mouse Songs Ranked
Modest Mouse is an American rock band formed in 1992 in Issaquah, Washington and currently based in Portland, Oregon. The founding members are lead singer/guitarist Isaac Brock, drummer Jeremiah Green, and bassist Eric Judy. Strongly influenced by Pavement, Pixies, XTC, and Talking Heads, the band rehearsed, rearranged, and recorded demos for almost two years before finally signing with small-town indie label K Records and releasing numerous singles.
Since their 1996 debut, This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About, the band’s lineup has centered on Brock and Green. The band achieved mainstream success with their fourth album Good News for People Who Love Bad News (2004) and its singles “Float On” and “Ocean Breathes Salty”. Judy performed on every Modest Mouse album until his departure in 2012. Guitarist Johnny Marr (formerly of the Smiths) joined the band in 2006, shortly following percussionist Joe Plummer (formerly of the Black Heart Procession) and multi-instrumentalist Tom Peloso, to work on the album We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank (2007). Guitarist Jim Fairchild joined the band in 2009. The band’s sixth album Strangers to Ourselves was released on March 17, 2015. Here are all of Modest Mouse’s songs ranked.
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20. Missed the Boat (We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, 2007)
“This is one of the most musically complex pieces that I have ever heard. the blending of Isaac’s voice and guitar harmonies makes me feel like I’m swimming through sound. Perfect mix of complexity and melody”
19. Spitting Venom (We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, 2007)
“Spitting Venom really is an anthem at large, and it keeps you interested and excited the whole way through. It may be 8 minutes long, but the length is worth it.”
18. Out of Gas (The Lonesome Crowded West, 1997)
“It’s such a neat song if I could describe it In one word, it’s like the song from the same album: Heart Cooks Brain, just done shorter and better.”
17. The Stars Are Projectors (The Moon & Antarctica, 2000)
“By far the greatest lyrical achievement in any song I have ever heard; Will stand corrected if it comes to that. match that with gorgeous and thundering music, great interplay between rhythm and the copious bouts of guitar riffs and the ending gives you time to process what you heard. The best song on the best album ever made.”
See more: Modest Mouse Albums Ranked
16. Edit the Sad Parts (This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About, 1996)
“This is the adolescent’s theme song. Everyone’s theme song for that matter. I don’t understand how any song can be greater than this. Look it up and have yourself a nice cry at the beauty of it all.”
15. Parting of the Sensory (We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, 2007)
“This song is an epic akin to Weezer’s “Only in Dreams.” It spans myriad emotions and musical styles, starting with soft guitar plucking and ending in a tropical storm of Irish-inspired grandeur. A really poetic song about each of our place in the world.”
14. The World at Large (Good News for People Who Love Bad News, 2004)
“God this song is so beautiful. “Ice age, heat wave, can’t complain” is one of the most beautiful lyrics I’ve ever heard. It’s like any modest mouse song, lyrics that are so touching and yet so subtle. Stories that move you without many words. “I like songs about drifters, books about the same.” This song is my love.”
13. Night on the Sun (Night on the Sun, 1999)
“This song is a truly great song, Anyways, this song creates a feeling of numbness. I’m not sure if Shakespeare could’ve written it better. Please, just take a moment to look at the lyrics and listen to the song and cry a little bit because of the beauty.”
12. Truckers Atlas (The Lonesome Crowded West, 1997)
“Long, very long, I think it’s Modest Mouses so test song ever recorded (I think it is at least) It’s so good, talking about traveling, with the music to the song along the lines of Doing the Cockroach at the bombast part, It’s very underrated.”
11. Talking S**t About a Pretty Sunset (This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About, 1996)
“This is, in my opinion, the greatest Modest Mouse song. It is so sporadic, and all of its parts are amazing. Isaac’s lyrics are one of his best, and the sweeping string instruments are definitely a highlight.”
10. King Rat (We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, 2007)
“Definitely my favorite Modest Mouse song, and my second favorite song of all time. So many emotions are displayed in one song. The song itself and the video directed by Heath Ledger, makes this song, by far, the best one!”
9. Doin’ the Cockroach (The Lonesome Crowded West, 1997)
“This song is so good, starts off kind of calm with moments of bombast, then into what sounds like a chorus, but then turns into bombast, which then for the rest of the song is just insanity, and I love it so much.
8. 3rd Planet (The Moon & Antarctica, 2000)
“Have been listening to this song over and over and over for the past few weeks. Some of the lyrics are so affecting and relatable in a way unlinked to the actual meaning (which I’m pretty sure is about losing a child). “Remind me of when we used to be three and not two, and that’s how the world began, and that’s how the world will end” – doesn’t matter what the third thing is, if it’s the most special thing to you, it is what began your world and will end your world if you lose it.”
7. Cowboy Dan (The Lonesome Crowded West, 1997)
“This is a very dark song, it’s messed up, and that is why it is amazing. Repressed violence. Loneliness. Rural prairie. God, if I have to die, you’ll have to die”
See more: Crowded House Albums Ranked
6. Teeth Like God’s Shoeshine (The Lonesome Crowded West, 1997)
“This song embodies all that is Modest Mouse. The manic shouting vocals, the harmonics, the winding guitar riffs, the changes throughout the song..This song is a masterpiece”
5. Gravity Rides Everything (The Moon & Antarctica, 2000)
“This song is so truthful. When you look at you’re life and think of all of the bad things that are happening, you just think of this song and you will know that everything will fall into place.”
4. Dashboard (We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, 2007)
“This song makes me so happy! Every time I listen I just want to dance. It’s such a great song, good lyrics, good instrumental… It’s perfect! I would definitely rate this number 1 on my charts.”
3. Dramamine (This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About, 1996)
“This song is so hypnotizing. Whenever I listen to it I just have to stop and really listen. Beautiful song. Love the lyrics. Modest Mouse has best lyrics overall but these are amazing. So hopeless and sad but same time really lovely.”
2. Trailer Trash (The Lonesome Crowded West, 1997)
“Their best song in my opinion. Listening to that rhythm, singing, and looking at that album picture makes me feel better and takes me to different places No word to describe this song other than just brilliant. It’s catchy and beautiful and inspiring. I remember listening to this song before sleeping.’
1. Float On (Good News for People Who Love Bad News, 2004)
“I cannot help but bounce along to the rhythm of this every time it comes on. Modest mouse made this song amazingly, Everything feels right when listening to Float On. This song always makes me feel better. When something’s going wrong in my life, I just remember the lyrics: “we’ll float on, the good news is on the way. “