The band's current configuration is Isaac Brock (vocals, guitar), Tom Peloso (strings, horns, bass, keyboards), Jim Fairchild (guitar), and Eric Judy (bass)). Plummer has recently become the new drummer for The Shins.
Brock came up with the name "Modest Mouse" when he read the Virginia Woolf stream of consciousness essay The Mark On the Wall in which the author described the working middle class as "modest mouse-coloured people"
Brock frequently moved around with his mother when he was a child. Around this time, his mother left his father for his father's brother (Brock's uncle). Brock's mother's house flooded and forced them to move into his mother's new husband's trailer, but there was no room for Brock. Brock stayed behind, living in the second story of the flooded house, until he was eventually evicted by police. He then moved into a shed next to his mother's house and it is said this is where Brock, drummer Jeremiah Green and bassist Eric Judy first began playing music.
In 1994, the band recorded their debut EP, Blue Cadet-3, Do You Connect?, at Calvin Johnson's Dub Narcotic Studios, which was then released on Calvin's record label K Records. Then followed a single with Sub Pop that was recorded by producer Steve Wold at Moon Studios. Wold, who in the mid-2000's would begin to perform under the name Seasick Steve, would also perform on the band's albums, but was never an official member of the band. After moving to Up Records Modest Mouse put out several releases recorded at Moon Studios, including 1996's This Is A Long Drive For Someone With Nothing To Think About. This double LP was produced and recorded by Steve Wold. The next offering on UP was Interstate 8; also produced by Steve Wold. 1997's The Lonesome Crowded West, (also recorded at Moon Studios, by Scott Swayze) turned out to be the band's breakthrough album. The Lonesome Crowded West gained the band a cult following and is now widely considered by many critics to be one of the defining albums of mid-90s indie rock.
In 2000, Modest Mouse released The Moon And Antarctica, their first album on a major label (Epic Records). The band enjoyed some success on alternative radio with the singles "3rd Planet" and "Gravity Rides Everything." Lead singer Isaac Brock has since put out an album with his side project Ugly Casanova on Sub Pop Records.
In 2003, drummer Jeremiah Green quit the band; the official word was that he was quitting to work with his side project, Vells. He was replaced with two members, drummer Benjamin Weikel (who also drummed for The Helio Sequence) and guitarist Dann Gallucci (Murder City Devils). Weikel being new to the band and Gallucci returning to the band for the first time since This is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About. On April 6, 2004, Modest Mouse released the platinum-selling Good News For People Who Love Bad News, which scored two hits with "Float On" and "Ocean Breathes Salty". In 2004 Jeremiah Green returned to the band, and Benjamin Weikel now drums exclusively for The Helio Sequence. Dann Gallucci left the band in August, and they toured with Hutch Harris of The Thermals during the fall of 2004.
Modest Mouse was mentioned by name in the 2005 Supreme Court decision in the case of MGM v. Grokster. Justice Souter wrote that on the Grokster P2P network, "Users seeking Top 40 songs, for example, or the latest release by Modest Mouse, are certain to be far more numerous than those seeking a free Decameron, and Grokster and StreamCast translated that demand into dollars."
In 2005, multi-instrumentalist Tom Peloso, who already played various instruments on Good News For People Who Love Bad News, officially joined the band. In 2006, Johnny Marr, former guitarist for The Smiths, became an official member of the band.
On March 20, 2007, the band released their fifth album, We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank. Four singles were released from the album: "Dashboard", "Missed the Boat", "We've Got Everything" and "Little Motel". The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart. James Mercer of The Shins provides backing vocals on three songs.
In 2009, they released No One's First And You're Next, an EP of unreleased songs from around the time Good News and We Were Dead were recorded, and two songs that had already been released, "I've Got It All (Most)" and "King Rat". The video for King Rat was directed by late actor Heath Ledger.
In 2009, Johnny Marr left the band and was replaced by Jim Fairchild, formerly of Grandaddy. The band performed at several festivals throughout 2009 and 2010, including the main stage of the Reading and Leeds Festivals in 2010.
After an 8 year wait, the band's latest full-length is "Strangers To Ourselves", released March 17th, 2015- two weeks after the original release date, March 3rd, 2015. The album art is an aerial photo of an RV resort located in Mesa, Arizona. Five singles were released before the album, "Lampshades on Fire", "Coyotes", "The Ground Walks, with Time in a Box", "The Best Room", and "Of Course we Know".
Drummer Jeremiah Green passed away from cancer on December 31, 2022 at the age of 45.
March Into the Sea
Modest Mouse Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And you suck all the seasoning off
Suck it off
Well, treat me like disease
Like the rats and the fleas
Aha ha! Aha ha!
'Cause it's filled with all wrong
Aha ha! Clang, clang, clang!
If you think you know enough to know you know we've had enough
And if you think you don't, you probably will
Our tails wagged and then fell off
But we just turned back, marched into the sea
Well, treat me like the sea
Oh-so salty and mean
Aha ha! Oh, ha ha!
Well, treat me like disease
Like the rats and the fleas
Aha ha! Ha!
I'll be beating my heart's record for speeding
I'll be beating the record for heart skipping
Oh, the doggone tails; well, they fell off
But we just turned back, marched into the sea
Well, we just turned around, marched into the sea
Take all that you need
Let my saxophone free
Till it's gone, till it's gone
Well, this coffee you bleed
Like the leaves of a tree
Aha ha! Aha ha!
Let's shake hands if you want
But you - both hands are gone!
Oh, haha! Haha!
Well, treat me like the sea
I'm so salty and mean
Aha ha
Oh, treat me like the sea
Oh-so salty and mean
Aha ha
Well, treat me like the leaves
Like the rats and the fleas
Bang your head like a gong
'Cause you called it all wrong
Move your tune
Clang, clang
Clang, clang
Clang, clang
Clang, clang!
Cut me down like the trees
Like the lumber or weeds
Drag me out of the sea
And then teach me to breathe
Give me forests half dead
I wish death on myself
Give me forests so dead
I wish death on myself
Aha ha!
Aha!
Aha!
Aha!
Aha!
Well, we all saw the rat
Take a happy encore
For the phone speaks we all
And the running bulls
Aha ha!
March on! March on! March on! March on!
Well, march on!
In Modest Mouse's song "March Into the Sea" the lyrics seem to explore themes of frustration, anger, and a desire to break away from the norm. The song is painted with imagery of disease, rats, fleas, and saltiness which could be seen as a metaphor for the negative aspects of society. The line "Our tails wagged and then fell off" could possibly represent the loss of individuality or powerlessness. However, the band does not give up, and instead "march into the sea," which could be interpreted as taking a leap into the unknown to escape the negative aspects of society.
The chorus plays with the idea of being treated like a disease or the sea, both salty and mean- which could symbolize the harshness of the world. There is a mention of a saxophone being freed and coffee bleeding like the tree's leaves, which could signify freedom and sacrifice. The song ends with the band being cut down like trees or weeds, dragged out of the sea, and taught to breathe again- this could be seen as a rebirth or a reinvention of self.
Line by Line Meaning
If food do you please
If you're satisfied with mere sustenance
And you suck all the seasoning off
If you take everything from a situation and leave it flavorless
Suck it off
Take it all in
Well, treat me like disease
Treat me like an unwelcome infection
Like the rats and the fleas
As if I'm vermin or a pest
Aha ha! Aha ha!
Ha ha! Ha ha! (Sarcastic laugh)
Bang your head like a gong
Beating your head repeatedly
'Cause it's filled with all wrong
Because your head's full of mistakes
Aha ha! Clang, clang, clang!
Ha ha! Making repetitive noise, like a gong or a bell
If you think you know enough to know you know we've had enough
If you believe that you know when enough is enough
And if you think you don't, you probably will
And if you think you don't know when enough is enough, you'll eventually learn
Our tails wagged and then fell off
We were initially happy, but then things went awry
But we just turned back, marched into the sea
Instead of letting the situation defeat us, we bravely faced it head on
Well, treat me like the sea
Treat me like the tumultuous ocean
Oh-so salty and mean
Salty and bitter, like the ocean
I'll be beating my heart's record for speeding
I'll be feeling intense emotions and adrenaline
I'll be beating the record for heart skipping
My heart will be skipping beats at a rate that's never been seen before
Take all that you need
Take everything you require
Let my saxophone free
Allow me to express myself through music
Till it's gone, till it's gone
Until there's nothing left
Well, this coffee you bleed
Drinking this coffee is draining you
Like the leaves of a tree
Just like leaves fall from a tree, everything must come to an end
Let's shake hands if you want
Let's make peace, if you desire
But you - both hands are gone!
But because of past actions, there's no way to do so
Oh, haha! Haha!
Oh, ha ha! Laughing in irony
Well, treat me like the leaves
Treat me like something that's meant to come and go
Like the rats and the fleas
Like something that's unimportant or meaningless
Bang your head like a gong
Beating yourself up over past mistakes
'Cause you called it all wrong
Because you messed up everything
Move your tune
Change your behavior or your mindset
Clang, clang
Making repetitive noise, like a gong or a bell
Cut me down like the trees
Taking me down like a tree being chopped down
Like the lumber or weeds
Making me feel as if I'm worthless or disposable
Drag me out of the sea
Rescue me from a difficult or impossible situation
And then teach me to breathe
Help me recuperate and regain my footing
Give me forests half dead
Give me something that's still alive, but slowly dying
I wish death on myself
I feel hopeless and defeated
Give me forests so dead
Give me something that's already long gone
Aha ha!
Ha ha! (Sarcastic laugh)
Well, we all saw the rat
We've all seen the enemy
Take a happy encore
Celebrate the victory, even if it's small
For the phone speaks we all
For this message is universal
And the running bulls
And the challenges we face
March on! March on! March on! March on!
Keep fighting and pushing forward
Well, march on!
Keep marching forward
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, SCHUBERT MUSIC PUBLISHING INC.
Written by: ERIC JUDY, ISAAC BROCK, JEREMIAH GREEN, JOE PLUMMER, JOHNNY MARR, TOM PELOSO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Rawn
I've been listening to this album pretty much on repeat for 8 years I never realized how much the world needed these visuals
DJ Warwing
This album is one of my top three favorites, tied with Good News... and The Moon and Antarctica. This was the second album I listened to from the band, and it was at a time that I was still recovering from a heavy breakup, and at the same time we were worried my grandfather's time was closing in. For me, this album perfectly tuned with the feelings I was going through at the time, and like all of their albums, it helped me cope. Coming to terms with the heartbreak and the noisy and confusing nature of adulthood, but moving forward nonetheless.
Modest Mouse remains my most favorite band of all time, not just for their unique style, but their coincidental arrival at a time in my life that I most needed them to make some more sense of the world.
Thank you guys for everything. See you at Beale Street '22 <3
Jonathan Gentry
Such a good opener. Always felt this album got a raw deal.
Jonathan Gentry
@FUELLER Just from the indie critiques and hard-core fans, which tends to be what I notice more I guess. But I didn't even know that.
Rich Fueller
This album was certified Gold by the RIAA on June 11, 2009. It had four singles that got plenty of airplay. How did the album get a raw deal?
mamba
its got some their best songs and I say that as a fan of their first 3 albums the most
holless
honest to god, by the first "UH-HUH-HUH" i was sure this would become one of my favorite albums ever.
SomeDigustingRat
i honestly don't know why people don't like this album, it's a banger
Michael Dunn
Isn't my favourite album of there's but I still love We Were Dead and I'm so happy to see it getting recognition! This opener is a banger
mamba
it's got some their best songs and im a fan of the first 3 albums like most but this is a great album