"Talking Sh*t About a Pretty Sunset" is a song by Modest Mouse, with the words written by singer and guitar player Isaac Brock and the music composed by Isaac Brock, Eric Judy (bass), and Jeremiah Green (drums). Modest Mouse are an alternative/"indie" rock band that formed in 1993 in Issaquah, Washington just outside of Seattle. This particular song was released in 1996 on their debut full-length LP This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About. Modest Mouse combine dissonant, sometimes dreary guitar riffs with energetic drum beats and rolling basslines that tend to create very edgy, driven rock songs. Brock's lyrics are usually sarcastic in some way, and also play with concepts like life, death, afterlife, etc. as if they weren't as serious as they really are. Most wouldn't call Brock's voice the perfect "American Idol" voice, but he doesn't try to make his voice anything it isn't and it ends up emphasizing the meaning behind his words, making the music all the more powerful.
I think this is a truly beautiful song because of the powerful lyrics and ambient, somewhat sad melody. The song's title comes from the lines, "Talkin' sh*t about a pretty sunset, blanketing opinions that I'll probably regret soon."Lines like "I change my mind so much I can't even trust it/My mind changes me so much I can't even trust myself" evoke a sense of self evaluation that is never easy for anyone. We all have times where we don't really know if we're going down the right path in life, and when we look at ourselves in the mirror and don't really know how to feel. In the song, Brock writes, "I claim that I'm not excited with my life anymore/So I blame this town, this job, these friends/The truth is it's myself/And I'm trying to understand myself and pinpoint who I am." I think listening to (or even better, creating your own) music can be a perfect, healthy way of addressing these emotions. Sometimes, the right song can give you just the inspiration you need to make a decision or choose the right path. Although it sounds like it from my description, this song isn't all sad. Towards the end, the singing stops and the drums and the guitar pick up and everything becomes much more upbeat, just like you can feel better after you go through the exhausting process of evaluating yourself, where you are in life, and/or what you need to do next. I've enjoyed listening to everybody's songs, and if you've never listened to Modest Mouse's older stuff (before "Float On" and the Good News for People Who Love Bad News album) then I hope you'll give this a listen.
Sam,
ReplyDeleteYou've picked a band that's close to home for me, quite literally. Seattle, as I'm sure you know, has a diverse and storied musical history, from Quincy Jones to Jimi Hendrix (who went to my high school), from Nirvana, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains to Sir Mix-a-lot (who also went to my high school). I don't think it is a stretch to say that Seattle's identity is largely defined by its musical heritage. And to speak in broad strokes, it seems as if Seattle's musical identity has something to do with the city's geographical location (west coast, near lots of water), the newness of Seattle as a city (it seems to stand apart from tradition in many senses, for better and for worse), and even its climate (dreary grey rain giving way to an incredibly beautiful summer). Like many other great "Seattle" bands, Modest Mouse comes from outside of the city, from (as you've noted) Issaquah -- sandwiched between forest, farms, mountains, and ... Microsoft.
So, to reference Wednesday's conversation, there are so many axes of musical identity formation to consider, even if we are to look merely at the geographical origin of the band.
If you like that new Seattle sound, have you heard the Fleet Foxes? Here is a song of theirs (my good friend Jesse did the stop-motion graphics for the video out of cut out construction paper):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DT-dxG4WWf4
LDG