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Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Track of the Moment: King Rat by Modest Mouse


           When you think of a song about the ocean most likely you will think of a song about the beach.  From the Beach Boys, to Surfer Blood, these bands conjure up images of crystal waves, white sands, and sunny days.  However, the ocean is a big place, and there’s more to it then just the beautiful beaches you hear about in these songs.  To get a taste of this cold, salty, and foamy ocean water you got to leave the beaches of California, and take a trip up the coast into Washington State.
Modest Mouse excels at two things in my opinions: Making awesome album names (I highly recommend looking some up), and writing really good sea-shanties.  The singer has a voice that would feel at home on a pirate ship, and the subject matter brings to mind the frothy cold waters of the North-West shores.   Everyone in their songs are sinners, crooks, and various other ne’er-do-wells just trying to get by, and King Rat is their ballot. 
            To see what I mean you have to look no further then this music video.   Everything, from the anthropomorphic fish, to the animation style blows a briny breeze in my face.  Also the subject matter of the video (if not a little brutal) is a reminder to me that even if we seem pretty dominate on land, humans are pretty alien to the deep ocean.  So grab your rum and eye patch, and enjoy.

1 comment:

  1. Neighborhoods #2 also always reminded me of a sea shanty (but its mainly becuase of the accordion and not the singers voice. And good pick, I like King Rat, No one is first and you are next is very different from thier other stuff but I like it

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