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.
Tundra/Desert
Modest Mouse Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Childhood's what makes ya
'Til they treat ya like tundra
Weigh those opinions
More like air than lead
Every planned occupation
Surefire disappointment up ahead
See mirages of friendship, face turns read
Here's the soon to be anchor
Build bridges to nothing, you'll get nowhere
Every governor's mother knows
That their bread is buttered by Sam
And what about science?
they find proof and let you make your own decisions
Every childstar wonders
If they have a future up ahead
Every kindhearted banker
I don't think there is one
Every winning opinion
Stand on platforms in water
Filling jars full of silence you'll get nowhere
The song "Tundra/Desert" by Modest Mouse starts with the line "Every sick, fickle fucker, childhood's what makes ya." The lyrics suggest that our upbringing and childhood experiences shape who we become as adults, but despite that, people can still be treated poorly and not valued, symbolized by being treated like a tundra or a desert. The following lines, "Weigh those opinions, more like air than lead," suggest that the opinions of others may not hold as much weight as they seem and that it's essential to consider them but take them with a grain of salt.
The chorus of the song talks about how those who are treated like tundras or deserts are susceptible to becoming isolated, seeing mirages of friendship, and ultimately building bridges to nowhere, symbolized by filling jars full of silence. The lyrics "Every governor's mother knows that their bread is buttered by Sam," suggests that politicians and those in power have to answer to someone and are influenced by outside forces just like everyone else. The song also touches on the idea of questioning authority, as seen in the line "And what about science? They find proof and let you make your own decisions."
Line by Line Meaning
Every sick, fickle fucker
Every unpredictable and inconsistent person
Childhood's what makes ya
A person's early years shape their character
'Til they treat ya like tundra
Until people start to treat you coldly and with indifference
Weigh those opinions
Evaluate the different viewpoints presented
More like air than lead
Lighter and easier to change one's mind
Every planned occupation
All careers that people have in mind for themselves
Surefire disappointment up ahead
An inevitable feeling of disillusionment ahead
'Til they treat ya like desert
Until people start to neglect and overlook you
See mirages of friendship, face turns red
Perceiving false signals of friendly behavior, leading to a feeling of shame or embarrassment
Here's the soon to be anchor
This is the beginning of being tied down to a stagnant life
Build bridges to nothing, you'll get nowhere
Taking actions that lead to no real progress or improvement in life
Every governor's mother knows
Politicians' mothers are aware of how their child's bread is buttered
That their bread is buttered by Sam
Sam represents the people who fund political campaigns
And what about science?
Questions the neutrality and objectivity of science
they find proof and let you make your own decisions
Scientists provide evidence but do not force people to make certain choices or conclusions
Every childstar wonders
Even famous kids have doubts about their future success and relevance
If they have a future up ahead
If they will remain relevant in their field as they grow up
Every kindhearted banker
An oxymoron that challenges the stereotype of bankers being selfish and greedy
I don't think there is one
The idea of a kindhearted banker may be unrealistic or unlikely
Every winning opinion
Popular beliefs that are presented as factual
Stand on platforms in water
The beliefs are shaky and unstable
Filling jars full of silence you'll get nowhere
Hoarding unexpressed thoughts and emotions will not lead to progress or resolution
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ERIC JUDY, ISAAC BROCK, JEREMIAH GREEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind