Good Morning!
Today we’re listening to “Dashboard” by Modest Mouse
One of Modest Mouse's superpowers is to remind you to persevere while getting you to sing along. On "Float On," frontman Isaac Brock reminded us that bad news comes, don't you worry even when it lands/Good news will work its way to all them plans.
It's a Successories poster set to an animated groove. And it launched the band into stardom.
"Dashboard" was the lead single on their 2007 follow-up album, We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank.
The album features new band member, guitarist Johnny Marr (yes, that Johnny Marr), who adds an exciting dimension to the band's sound. The song was one of the album's standout tracks, saw decent airplay, and was well-received by fans and critics alike.
Musically, there's a lot of distance between “Float On” and “Dashboard." For starters, "Dashboard" is about 85mph faster. The song has a catchy melody and a driving rhythm, with the horns layered on top of a prominent bassline and energetic drumming.
Johnny Marr's guitar riffs blend seamlessly with Isaac Brock's distinct vocal style. Marr's guitar work is especially notable in the song's chorus, where he provides a series of catchy riffs that elevate the song's memorable melody.
But even with Marr in the mix, there's no doubt who you're listening to.
Lyrically, there's no daylight between the two tracks. The words might be different, but the message is the same; life gets sticky sometimes- and apparently involves a lot of cars getting wrecked.
Keep going, anyway.
Bad news: The dashboard melted.
Upside: The radio still works.
It's an indie version of Stoicism.
And it's another terrific track from a band that finds it impossible to make a boring song.
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Ironically, the most successful track on We Were Dead is the one that pushes hardest against the group's established formula: the almost gaudy single "Dashboard". With Modest Mouse's trademark itchy guitars all but drowned out by brass fanfares and slurring strings, "Dashboard" is the Vegas version of "Float On", and it works as an experiment to see just how far they can push the dissonance of Brock's multi-tracked barking against slick, commercially ambitious surroundings.
Click here to read the rest of the review.
Listen:
“Dashboard” by Modest Mouse | We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank, 2007
Click the record to listen on the platform of your choice.
As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this track!
Thanks for being here,
Kevin—
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For being a Seattle Girl I don’t listen to nearly enough Modest Mouse.
I prefer my Modest Mouse to be everything through The Moon and Antartica, but this was a banger of a single. "Fire It Up" was dumb fun too, but I think I liked the b-sides album a bit more (No One's First, And You're Next). Saw them a looooong time ago and it's still one of the worst shows I've ever been to, but damn those early records are so, so good - RIP Jeremiah Green.
On a Marr note, I had no idea Johnny has a kid in the biz, but I had to listen to Nile Marr's newest album for the upcoming Album of the Month pod taping. Have to say, the first four songs are fantastic, but the album as a whole blends into the background after that. "You Pull Me In" is my fav on here with this phat little synth line driving it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hRcdPw3nNI&list=OLAK5uy_kxMX3Ra0BfnzMw2-emyrBEZoxrPA4eJZY&index=4