Just found out that Jeremiah, the band's drummer, died on New Year's Eve. He was apparently very recently diagnosed with cancer and it killed him very quickly. Wow. My thoughts go out to his wife and kid. He was a truly phenomenal drummer.
It's definitely an A, but it was also my introduction and I really played that CD to death back when I was obsessed with MM. It ended up being the one I got bored of the quickest. I've since revisited it though and it's one of their best for sure.
Agreed, it was also my introduction to modest mouse got it when I was 14. Then I forgot about them for years and in my mid twenties I went and listened to all the old stuff and was blown away.
It would have been good to see Interstate 8 and Building Something Out of Nothing on here. I think those two also represent how Modest Mouse wasn't just a couple good albums before falling off. They really knew what they were doing in those early days. Interstate 8 is almost a concise look at the style of Long Drive and Building Something showed off their single game before Float On. Edit: I forgot to mention that the main reason I would consider Interstate 8 to be viable for the list is that, with the demos, its longer than Good News. Of course that's all up to perspective.
I really wish my late wife could watch this vid, I wanna hear her take on this. She loved Modest Mouse, and actually had the same birthday as the release of This is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Talk About. Her favorite album and the one I’ve listened to most is Building Nothing out of Something; helps me feel her around again💔
I rented a Lonesome Crowded West CD when I was 14 from my local library because the album cover looked cool and listened to it non-stop for months, collecting all kinds of late fees. Happy to see it wasn't just nostalgia that made this album hit my ears so perfectly.
I actually think we were dead is so criminally underrated. Has a few low lights but songs like spitting venom and parting of the sensory are among the best Brock has ever written
The fact he doesn't put all significant EPs and comps (especially ones that aren't just "Best-ofs") is kindof a crime, but it's his channel so what can we do? Building Nothing is probably A tier for me.
Leaving out Interstate 8, The Fruit That Ate Itself, Night on The Sun, Everywhere and His Nasty Parlour Tricks, and Building Nothing out of Something (and Ugly Cassanova)... so much important music out of MM discography just completely ignored. I get it those are EPs, but to really understand MM you have to include those. Maybe even add on a second tier list for EPs... His current list is just incomplete.
1.building nothing out of something 2. long drive... 3.lonesome crowed west 4.moon & antarctica 5. good news for p... 6. we were dead before the ship even sank 7. strangers to ourselves
@@louonthesun3325 definitely not in the modest mouse fandom, I see it get some of the most praise along side TLCW and TM&A. Although hardcore indie fans, yes it mostly gets shit on. Its a good album, just not underrated is all im sayin.
@@JimmyNoKnees maybe it has changed recently. i havent really been in the fandom for a while but back in the day thinking Good News was anything more than an ok album would get you absolutely jizzed on lol and God forbid you thought Float On was a good song.
@@louonthesun3325 that still sorta holds light by gatekeepers. I mean i get shit on for despising STO, but the album just doesnt sit right with me and i like damn near everything leading up to it.
I know it's basically a B-sides EP, but Everywhere and His Nasty Parlour Tricks has always been my favorite collection of songs by MM. I used to listen to it all the time and even though it's basically just a comp it actually all vibes together and has a cohesive mood across the whole thing that I don't think they've had on any other album.
I've always thought if they took E&HNPT and cut some of the filler out of M&A and put those together you'd have a seriously killer record. Both were around the same time give or take and even the production on a lot of tracks from M&A share a lot stylistically.
@@marjercly8296 I don't know how well these songs would end up fitting, but if you put Night on the Sun and Willful Suspension of Disbelief somewhere on TM&A then the album would have more of a psychedelic feel.
@@Lancelot30 I legitimately can't fathom putting Good News over it; thinking that an album with songs as bland as "Dance Hall," "Bury Me With it," and "One Chance" is better than an album with such haunting masterpieces in its deep cuts as "Perfect Disguise," "The Stars are Projectors," and "Life Like Weeds"
Building Nothing Out of Something deserves more love.. It gets overlooked a lot since it's technically a collection of B-sides but it's easily on par with the rest of their 90's and early 00's output
@@Lancelot30 Gonna be honest here. I like that song sonically, but the lyrics are too straightforward for me. I'll probably come around to it eventually, maybe if I'm going through a depressive episode.
@@RektRL Nah, never said that. I do need to give them another listen, though. I sometimes fall into the trap of seeing a related artist that I listen to, then being underwhelmed because it's not just more of the artist I love, lol. Gotta come at them with a fresh perspective.
Oh shit man, we were dead before the ship even sank is not only my favorite album of theirs, but also pretty high up on my all time favorite album list. The albums entire concept is great and Fly trapped in a jar is legitimately one of the greatest songs ever written imo.
Moon and Antarctica at B is the most blasphemous thing I've seen Fantano do in all my years of watching. If anything Good News is B, Moon is S and everything else is right.
I felt similarly about strangers initially but honestly it’s grown on me so much over the years, I honestly think it’s worthy of revisiting. Coyotes, The Ground Walks, Tortoise, Be Brave, and Lampshades are all some of my fav MM tracks at this point.
I have an original pressing of This is a Long Drive (with the misspelling of Dramamine) and it’s my most prized possession. It is easily one of their best - S tier for me.
A few ideas for the next tier list: Prince Spoon Pavement Ghostface Pink Floyd Sleater-Kinney Stereolab Ween PJ Harvey Edit: Did not expect this many likes
i honestly think We Were Dead is a bit underrated. it has some of their best songs imo, especially Spitting Venom also how is moon in b tier that album is better than sex
We Were Dead is a sentimental favourite of mine. While it might be less unique in some ways, it does have a very distinct sound that I get often get pretty nostalgic for. I also find that it has some of MM's best songs on it.
@@MikeL-gt2wz We Were Dead came out in middle school when modest mouse were my favorite band and I listened to it constantly for a year. March Into The Sea especially is an unsung hero, so much fun
a lot of my love for we were dead is middle school nostalgia but it's also genuinely a great record. like, I went back & listened to this bullet for my valentine album I loved from around the same time & was like "wow, this is really really crap".
Agree. It's not a move forward, but it's not a step back either. It's just a really cohesive, listenable album; it doesn't have a single bad track and the album as a whole just has a mood (as all MM albums do) that sometimes you just wanna get caught up in.
Moon and Antarctica in my opinion is one of the most dull and unexplosive albums that exist in the discography. Not only is it more focused on the slower ways in the music, it’s also at a point where Isaac broke his jaw and sounded absolutely nothing like he actually does. So it’s completely impossible that you’ll ever hear moon and Antarctica played accurately live, because it simply doesn’t sound like any of the other mouse discography. - Personally, I’d rate moon lower than we were dead because it’s really just a low point in the band that experiences something so drastically different it sounds nothing like modest mouse in the future or the past.
Most moon fans usually just say “yeah the atmosphere of it is great” and ok, that’s cool. However that basically just means that you think it’s better to get high and listen to for most of the album.
@@Hans-yo2cq I mostly agree with you (only in comparison to other MM albums; it's still a very good album), but 3rd Planet is a contender for best MM song.
Moon & Artic is considered by many to be "their" best sounding album and also like baldy mentioned their most "artistic" with the acoustic guitar over dubs and themes of "losing faith in god/Idea of heaven being fake/Ressurection" in their songs(even tho brock claims he atheist, he plays with that idea the most on this album and many listeners related), Fun fact Issac got his jaw broken during the recording sessions of M&A by some guys in the parking lot of the studio while he was on a alcohol/drug binge and he re-recorded all the guitar riffs/sections and said that he had to fill in the empty spots of the record with more guitar over dubs because his jaw was wired shout for 6 months. I personally would Rank it in the S category.
that’s why its overrated its ironically worshipped by the pseudo artistic atheist of the early 2000s they're the same direction less trust fund women who listen to phoebe bridger today
I’ve always been super interested in diving into Modest Mouses catalogue after hearing their more popular tracks so I’m excited to use this as a jumping in point
Other peoples lives is the most underrated MM song. Building something out of nothing isn't technically an album, but would have loved to see Anthony mention it.
wym long drive has a sound that was never captured again, lonesome crowded west has a similar sound. they're like a pair, long drive is the rural version and lonesome crowded west is the city version
My ranking: S: The Moon & Antarctica, The Lonesome Crowded West A: This is a Long Drive, Good News B: Building Nothing Out of Something, We Were Dead C: Strangers to Ourselves, Sad Sappy Sucker D: N/A E: N/A F: N/A
You're so right about Good News being looked at as not that good for the simple fact that it got so big. All the indie snobs turned their nose up at it for that reason I know cause I was one of those people but in fact it is an amazing album.
This is a Long Drive is an amazing album. Sometimes it's hard for me to listen to it, not because it is inaccessible to me, but because how easily it depresses me. Beautiful and Meditative, yet Bleak and Soul-sucking. Not a lot of albums like it.
I really didn't like it when it came out which was a crazy shock to me as a huge MM fan. It took probably 6 months or so of regular-ish listening before it really clicked and I genuinely love it now.
I was trying to describe We Were Dead to someone and I said "yeah they had some guitar player on loan that I think was in some other bands." I didn't realize how much of an understatement that was until I looked up Marr's career.
Hey Anthony, just wanted to let you know you accidentally put The Moon and Antarctica in the wrong category! Obviously it belongs at the very top! thanks bb 😘💗💕
Honestly, we were dead before the ship even sank is pretty underrated imo. I really like it, it may not be as 'experimental' or 'focused' as previous releases, but it just makes me so happy every time i listen to it, It just has incredibly nice vibes to me, super catchy and laid-back, it's just a really pleasant listening experience for me. Its certainly not my favorite by them, but personally, I'd probably put it in the high B - low A tier.
I have actually been waiting for years for this. As a Patreon supporter who just memes in your comment section, I want to say I appreciate this. Thank you orange fanta.
I definitely agree with most of this, but in my opinion We Were Dead deserves higher than C. It hits a different emotional chord than some of their other stuff (which is all amazing for the reasons you described). That being said, it's also the album that took the longest to grow on me.
S tier: Fruit that ate itself, sad sappy sucker, long drive, lonesome A tier: the moon, good news Meh tier: everything else. Casanova gets an A tier mention
Strangers To Ourselves is honestly extremely overlooked. I think it's easily one of their better records. Songs like Strangers to Ourselves, Shit in Your Cut, Tortoise and the Tourist and Of Course We Know are spine shivering. It's not as raw, production wise, as their other records but the song writing is really good and the record has a weird ominous energy to it.
It's fucking great. I really feel like every album has been its own little experience/type of genre/feel and I think they delivered with this as much as any other album but also feel like they manage to get a more intricate type of sound with every album in a way I feel I really enjoy. I know some people think what makes them is their "simplicity" or "rawness", which personally I still think all their albums still have bits of that, but people also have to understand bands have to do something to keep it fresh for them and keep evolving their sound so they don't just end up making the same album 10 times... Which is honestly what it seems like lots of people would prefer for some reason
Life long Modest Mouse fan. Thank you for posting. I think this was a good list and challenged me in a good way. I disagree with putting Good News above Moon and Antarctica but you definitely made a solid case for putting Good News where it is. I’d just switch them on tiers. The Lyrics and headspace Moon puts you in takes a while but slowly became my favorite. Rest of the list is spot on.
I really think this would have been a perfect list to have extended plays on. Modest Mouse is significant for having deece EPs with beloved songs on them.
You're talking straight facts about Long Drive Anthony, and as a long-time fan who gets pushback on placing it over some of the ultra-classics, I appreciate you
I like how the song “barnacles” appears on every album, sometimes up front, sometimes morphed, sometimes buried almost beyond recognition. Barnacles is not just one song, it is a meandering think tank which permeates a presence on all Modest Mouse albums. I have been to many MM shows and have lost my voice from shouting ‘Barnacles!!’ between songs and while on one occasion I am sure Isaac Brock heard my repeated requests, he dutifully blanked me and continued the performance without a rendition of barnacles, but he didn’t need too as the entire set of songs are all refashioned versions of Barnacles. The only album you don’t hear or feel the presence of Barnacles on is Strangers to Ourselves, this is why the album is poorly received. This comment is not a dig at Brocks writing skills, rather- this is a celebration of the true essence of all MM architecture that ends up being an album loved by many because indeed- like Dorothy and Toto leaving the colourful land of OZ and return to the bleak and barren sepia wastelands of Kansas with an eerie post-Twister lull, they are home again…and she realises all of the people in OZ were just representations of her reality, Kansas is “Home” so to -Barnacles is “home”
We Were Dead at C is crazy. I prefer it to Moon and Antarctica. Sure it sounds more straightforward and clean, but there are so many fantastic ideas, great production, a fun theme. Not an S but a very solid A for me.
i think that hard core MM fans are more fans of the EPs and comps that aren't in the list of actual albums. my favs are: Everywhere and his Nasty Parlor Tricks, as well as Night on the Sun EP, which was originally only released in Japan, and contains several demos.
Huge Modest Mouse fan here!! I got a big hit of serotonin when I saw this in my recommended! While I agree with most of your choices, I'm gonna give a hard disagree that WWD is in C tier. Personally, I think it is incredibly underrated and that it should be B tier at the lowest (I'd give it an A, but MM is my favorite band of all time so...). My reason for this is that, despite the band becoming larger (up until Good News, MM consisted of only 3 members) and adopting a more mainstream/pop sound, they still really hit a sweet spot with this album. You have March Into the Sea, where Isaac's vocal delivery really shines and compliments the lyrics as they both descend into madness and paint a hellscape by the end of the song. You have Parting of the Sensory, an existential nihilistic view on life, where the instruments are foreboding and droning, but lead up to a chaotic end, full of inherent anger that has the same feel as almost all of LCW (have you heard the first dissonant chord in this song before it picks up??? It's such a strong feeling). You have two great stand-alone songs with Dashboard and Missed the Boat that, despite the pop-y feel, still deliver darker lyrics. Little Motel, Fly Trapped in a Jar, People as Places, are all really great songs. And Spitting Venom??? One of the best MM songs there is. Absolutely should have been the closer on the album. I could just gush and get into detail on almost all of the songs, but I am getting too passionate about this, haha.... Would have loved to have seen Building Nothing Out of Something (especially since you included SSS), Interstate 8, Everywhere and His Nasty Parlour Tricks, and No One's First and You're Next on this list, despite them not being considered full albums, because songs like Other People's Lives, edit the Sad Parts, Night on the Sun, and King Rat (just to name 4 truly incredible songs that wouldn't have been in any of the albums in the video) deserve recognition. Anyway, huge rant! I am just really passionate about MM and I'm glad a big youtuber spoke very positively of them and I hope it gets more people interested in listening! Still waiting on a new album and hoping it isn't StO part 2 and that it is personally loved from the first listen.... :')
I found Fantano’s complete disdain for it baffling. Only a couple songs maybe I’ll skip (especially the Ground Walks which sounds like a weaker, extended version of Dashboard), but overall so many cool ideas and catchy tunes. Sugar Boats, the Best Room and Of Course We Know would be my faves. Also credit to Pistol for being one of their strangest songs (and inspired by the guy who killed Versace!)
Long Drive is easily my favourite, some of the vocals may not be as fleshed out as on later projects but overall the vibes I get from that album are unmatched to date
We were dead is easily their most underrated. A friend of mine and i are currently doing a top ten tracks list for them, and there are just so many bangers on that album: March, Dashboard, Florida, Education, Little Motel, People as Places, Invisible I mean cmon man it’s just great. Also Strangers is only terrible to indie snobs, it’s B/C by unbiased standards
A wild pack of family dogs Came running through the yard As little Cal played The dogs took him away And I guess he was eaten up, okay Yeah, he was eaten up, okay My Melon's crying melon juice now My melon's crying melon juice now Melon put Moon in B-tier now
The Best Room? Pups to Dust? C'mon, strangers to ourselves has some great tracks on it. It certainly isn't abbey road, but there are a few spots here and there that made the project worth while - I think it was more of an issue of the band's production process being too cluttered more than it was them selling out (I'd also blame the fact that we haven't seen StO's second part on that reason too). I'd really like to see the band either go completely insane with its arrangements (full orchestra type of thing), or Isaac just make a solo album. Modest mouse just wasn't built to support 3 guitarists, a violinist, a double bass and a synthesizer, part of what made those earlier albums so cool was the crooked ways the members all approached their instruments, and how those approaches perfectly complemented their peers. Jeremiah Green is so sick, yet there hasn't been a groove as wicked at trucker's atlas since 2007, when they got a second drummer. Still, I would shave my eyebrows off if it meant I could hear a new album from them, its just been too long.
S - Good News, Lonesome Crowded, Moon & Antarctica B - We were Dead, Long Drive, Sad Sappy C - Stranger To Ourselves Stranger is admittedly flawed, but has some undeniable tunes like Shit in Your Cut & The Tortoise and the Tourist - I think an E is very harsh!
I loved We Were Dead and it was always my favorite album. Then I stopped dragging my feet and listened to Lonesome West in its entirety. And man, now it’s complicated to how I view their popular era.
![BLACK BAG - Official Trailer [HD] - Only in Theaters March 14](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Du0Xp8WX_7I/mqdefault.jpg)
Just found out that Jeremiah, the band's drummer, died on New Year's Eve. He was apparently very recently diagnosed with cancer and it killed him very quickly. Wow. My thoughts go out to his wife and kid. He was a truly phenomenal drummer.
Yeah, he have such a simple but distinctive style, truly amazing
@@sher618 agreed
The moon and antarctica in B tier !!!!
Didn't realise this was a let's argue
honestly I'm ready to fight
Im shook
We riot
Lmao
I'm surprised it made it past F tier. It's honestly straight garbage
THIS PLANE IS DEFINITELY CRASHING
Also the moon and Antarctica is AT LEAST A tier
THIS BOAT IS OBVIOUSLY SINKING
E tier maybe
yeah nah man
it's a fuckin S tier.
The Lonesome Crowded West is the album that made me fall in love with listening to entire albums
Ditto
I love those kind of albums. Those precious few you can play front to back and never skip a tune.
@@collinmc90 Precious few? there’s loads of amazing front to back albums. Although I’ve always be an full length albums>singles guy.
@@collinmc90 I haven't skipped tracks on albums for years now. Listening back to back is the way it these things are meant to be listened to.
Same
I have been waiting for this moment for my entire life.
Agreed, Kayden.
And then he puts The Mouse and the Antartica in B tier
My heartbeat is quickening
For real though.
@@carw8127 😪
Good News for People Who Love Bad News was my introduction to Modest Mouse and I was very surprised to see people hate on it. Very much agree is A.
I Can't agree more
It's definitely an A, but it was also my introduction and I really played that CD to death back when I was obsessed with MM. It ended up being the one I got bored of the quickest. I've since revisited it though and it's one of their best for sure.
Just compared to moons and tlcw it’s not as good but to each their own
Agreed, it was also my introduction to modest mouse got it when I was 14. Then I forgot about them for years and in my mid twenties I went and listened to all the old stuff and was blown away.
As a huge mouse fan going in, losing Jeremiah Greene as drummer mattered. It changed the chemistry.
the moon & antarctica is not b tier!
It’s a masterpiece
Moon and Antarctica > Lonesome Crowded West, any day
@@andyspendlove1019 no
@@andyspendlove1019 lonesome crowded west is of the 3 greatest albums ever made
@Ivory_ Lagiacrus_YT ¥>€
It would have been good to see Interstate 8 and Building Something Out of Nothing on here. I think those two also represent how Modest Mouse wasn't just a couple good albums before falling off. They really knew what they were doing in those early days. Interstate 8 is almost a concise look at the style of Long Drive and Building Something showed off their single game before Float On.
Edit: I forgot to mention that the main reason I would consider Interstate 8 to be viable for the list is that, with the demos, its longer than Good News. Of course that's all up to perspective.
Agreed, was really hoping to see Interstate 8 on here as it has two of their best songs, Edit the Sad Parts and Tundra
I wish he would have included building nothing over sad sappy sucker. very happy he did this at all tho.
@@benjals8812 Tundra’s on the backend of Long Drive
Interstate 8 is an amazing release, has always been my favorite of theirs.
@@benjals8812 and sleepwalkin!
I really wish my late wife could watch this vid, I wanna hear her take on this. She loved Modest Mouse, and actually had the same birthday as the release of This is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Talk About.
Her favorite album and the one I’ve listened to most is Building Nothing out of Something; helps me feel her around again💔
"You're an angel with an amber halo"
Hope she rests in peace
I’m sorry, rip to her.
I rented a Lonesome Crowded West CD when I was 14 from my local library because the album cover looked cool and listened to it non-stop for months, collecting all kinds of late fees. Happy to see it wasn't just nostalgia that made this album hit my ears so perfectly.
Glad these guys gave Johnny Marr a chance to make a name for himself
Nice meme
A nobody from Manchester.
I always figured he'd get bigger, but I guess it wasn't meant to be
@@SpadePyro well that’s just perspective, he’s huge in certain places
you mean you're glad ennio morricone gave johnny marr a chance to make a name for himself
I actually think we were dead is so criminally underrated. Has a few low lights but songs like spitting venom and parting of the sensory are among the best Brock has ever written
It’s an S tier for me idk why people dislike it so much
Yesssssss
Missed the boat enough said
Spitting Venom might be my single favorite Modest Mouse song.
Yes. It's S tier
Forgetting to put building nothing out of something is a crime
It’s a “compilation,” not an album. Besides, the A tier was getting full anyway.
@@danielkoster6832 lol good call.
IMO, it ranks the same as lonesome crowded.
The fact he doesn't put all significant EPs and comps (especially ones that aren't just "Best-ofs") is kindof a crime, but it's his channel so what can we do?
Building Nothing is probably A tier for me.
a compilation of b sides thats better than most peoples albums
Was hoping we'd see Building nothing out of Something on here or even Interstate 8, but yes, good list!
YESSSS. Would've much rather heard his thoughts Building Nothing over Sad Sappy Sucker, personally. My favorite collection of Modest Mouse songs!
@@bentley230 same, nothing out of something would have gotten an s from me.
Sometimes im so full of shit that it should be a crime
Leaving out Interstate 8, The Fruit That Ate Itself, Night on The Sun, Everywhere and His Nasty Parlour Tricks, and Building Nothing out of Something (and Ugly Cassanova)... so much important music out of MM discography just completely ignored. I get it those are EPs, but to really understand MM you have to include those. Maybe even add on a second tier list for EPs... His current list is just incomplete.
1.building nothing out of something
2. long drive...
3.lonesome crowed west
4.moon & antarctica
5. good news for p...
6. we were dead before the ship even sank
7. strangers to ourselves
*MOON IN B???* Life Like Weeds alone is enough to put it in A tier AT LEAST.
He is right tho Good News is underrated af.
Their most overrated album in terms of pop culture, and youre saying its underrated?
@@JimmyNoKnees it is heavily underrated within hardcore indie/rock circles and the Modest Mouse fandom.
@@louonthesun3325 definitely not in the modest mouse fandom, I see it get some of the most praise along side TLCW and TM&A.
Although hardcore indie fans, yes it mostly gets shit on. Its a good album, just not underrated is all im sayin.
@@JimmyNoKnees maybe it has changed recently. i havent really been in the fandom for a while but back in the day thinking Good News was anything more than an ok album would get you absolutely jizzed on lol and God forbid you thought Float On was a good song.
@@louonthesun3325 that still sorta holds light by gatekeepers. I mean i get shit on for despising STO, but the album just doesnt sit right with me and i like damn near everything leading up to it.
I really love the maritime vibe in We Were Dead, feels like a long night on a ghost ship
Yeah, it has a pretty distinct atmosphere. I love it. Definitely an A for me. Some days it's an S.
The whole album was meant to be songs about maritime and fishing boat disasters, apparently
I think it's why No one's first and you're next hits so hard for me. Love me that maritime vibe of Autumn Beds, Whale Song, King Rat
That's definitely part of what I love about it, maritime vibes are an easy way to make me love a piece of music lol.
“We were all drowsing in cruise control” is the lyric on that album that summarizes it for me. A for me for sure and I love the boat vibes so much
Now this is what I’m talking about 🤝
Moon and Antarctica is so classic it hurts
He gave it a B tho?
I hate seeing your ugly channel on every single one of Anthony's video.
@@maxinecaulfield310 bro why so toxic
@@ari5102 Younger souls tend to project their insecurities online because it feels safe. I wish these guys the best and move on
@@andyspendlove1019 I’m my own person. I don’t care what Anthony thinks
The A+ tier Building Nothing Out Of Something is a criminal omission
Seriously! that’s S tier for me, also people tend to not like it much but I’d put the fruit that ate itself over we were dead
Fantastic album. However, it was omitted because it is a compilation.
@@benhumy3456 Yeah, technically not a studio album, but not even mentioning it is surprising
Their compilations are album quality and are a huge omission. I listen to BNOOS more than any other album aside from LCW.
Yeah, that one is one of my favorite records. Along with the EP The Fruit that Ate Itself.
If Lonesome Crowded West isn't S Tier
He's wrong
Edit: he's right.
*W E L L!*
Long drive deserved it too but I can't be too upset about that one getting an A
@@jbomb7867 moon and Antarctica deserved it
Spoiler alert
@@DGincorporated1 David it's in the thumbnail
I know it's basically a B-sides EP, but Everywhere and His Nasty Parlour Tricks has always been my favorite collection of songs by MM. I used to listen to it all the time and even though it's basically just a comp it actually all vibes together and has a cohesive mood across the whole thing that I don't think they've had on any other album.
It’s like a fever dream
I've always thought if they took E&HNPT and cut some of the filler out of M&A and put those together you'd have a seriously killer record. Both were around the same time give or take and even the production on a lot of tracks from M&A share a lot stylistically.
Right there with ya. Always thought it was accidentally one of their best releases. Listened to it so many many times.
@@marjercly8296 I don't know how well these songs would end up fitting, but if you put Night on the Sun and Willful Suspension of Disbelief somewhere on TM&A then the album would have more of a psychedelic feel.
Totally agree. Here it comes, 3 inch horses, and night on the sun alone makes it deserve so much love.
I'm shaking rn. Moon and Antarctica is a damn masterpiece.
My 2nd favorite album of all time and melon puts it in B :(
@@Lancelot30 I legitimately can't fathom putting Good News over it; thinking that an album with songs as bland as "Dance Hall," "Bury Me With it," and "One Chance" is better than an album with such haunting masterpieces in its deep cuts as "Perfect Disguise," "The Stars are Projectors," and "Life Like Weeds"
Man put Good News above The Moon and Antarctica. wtf
Easily an A. At least.
@@andyspendlove1019
Dance Hall is a bop, tho.
Building Nothing Out of Something deserves more love.. It gets overlooked a lot since it's technically a collection of B-sides but it's easily on par with the rest of their 90's and early 00's output
One of the saddest records I’ve ever heard, but honestly incredible.
Agreed. Interstate 8, Broke, Never Ending Math Equation, Grey Ice Water... that album is amazing.
@@fishfur9530 No one ever mentions Whenever You Breathe Out, I Breathe in and I think that’s one of the most beautiful songs ever made.
It’s better than Moon or Lonesome
@@Lancelot30 Gonna be honest here. I like that song sonically, but the lyrics are too straightforward for me. I'll probably come around to it eventually, maybe if I'm going through a depressive episode.
Modest Mouse in the late 90s were such a force to be reckoned with.
@Luke BtS is amazing
@@MyBeautifulDarkTwistedFantasy6
Anthony no like BtS.
@@caketits2723 Sheep go to heaven, Goats go to hell.
@@caketits2723 oh no that means we can’t like them
@@RektRL
Nah, never said that.
I do need to give them another listen, though. I sometimes fall into the trap of seeing a related artist that I listen to, then being underwhelmed because it's not just more of the artist I love, lol. Gotta come at them with a fresh perspective.
Oh shit man, we were dead before the ship even sank is not only my favorite album of theirs, but also pretty high up on my all time favorite album list. The albums entire concept is great and Fly trapped in a jar is legitimately one of the greatest songs ever written imo.
Moon and Antarctica at B is the most blasphemous thing I've seen Fantano do in all my years of watching. If anything Good News is B, Moon is S and everything else is right.
Antarctica is S, Good News is A, We Were Dead is B. Get it straight.
Good News deserves an A.
@@dandur7124 I don't disagree with this.
@@bsparks you trying to NOT FIGHT ME, BRUH?!?! COME AT ME, BRUH.
Long Drive is my favorite album of theirs. One of my favorites of all time too. Underrated even within their fanbase.
Wish he talked about No One's First and You're Next, Everywhere and His Nasty Parlor Tricks, and especially Building Nothing out of Something.
And The Fruit that Ate itself!
EPs.
Whale Song is one of my favorites by them.
I heard King Rat live and got hooked, dying to hear cocker spaniels whenever I see MM again
I felt similarly about strangers initially but honestly it’s grown on me so much over the years, I honestly think it’s worthy of revisiting. Coyotes, The Ground Walks, Tortoise, Be Brave, and Lampshades are all some of my fav MM tracks at this point.
Moon and Antarctica is by far my favourite MM album. The negative things that Anthony lists are actually the positives in my book.
"2015... 6 YEARS AGO" Reality caught me off guard with that one
do you feel the wrinkles setting in?
I have an original pressing of This is a Long Drive (with the misspelling of Dramamine) and it’s my most prized possession. It is easily one of their best - S tier for me.
A few ideas for the next tier list:
Prince
Spoon
Pavement
Ghostface
Pink Floyd
Sleater-Kinney
Stereolab
Ween
PJ Harvey
Edit: Did not expect this many likes
The problem with Prince is that his discography is enormous.
Spoon records would all be on the same tier because they all sound the fuckin' same 😂😂
Absolutely love PJ Harvey!
@@thegroove14 Melon could do a two part episode.
@@MainDrainStudios If Mic the Snare won’t do the DDD for Spoon, then Melon should step in. Good point though.
Anthony I’m sorry I have to tell you this, but I caught some of the mice bragging recently, I’m sorry big man 😔
i honestly think We Were Dead is a bit underrated. it has some of their best songs imo, especially Spitting Venom
also how is moon in b tier that album is better than sex
We Were Dead is a sentimental favourite of mine. While it might be less unique in some ways, it does have a very distinct sound that I get often get pretty nostalgic for. I also find that it has some of MM's best songs on it.
@@MikeL-gt2wz We Were Dead came out in middle school when modest mouse were my favorite band and I listened to it constantly for a year. March Into The Sea especially is an unsung hero, so much fun
a lot of my love for we were dead is middle school nostalgia but it's also genuinely a great record. like, I went back & listened to this bullet for my valentine album I loved from around the same time & was like "wow, this is really really crap".
Totally. Spitting Venom is maybe my favourite song they've done.
Agree. It's not a move forward, but it's not a step back either.
It's just a really cohesive, listenable album; it doesn't have a single bad track and the album as a whole just has a mood (as all MM albums do) that sometimes you just wanna get caught up in.
S- m&a
A- this is a long drive, lcw
B- good news
C- we were dead, sappy sucker
F- strangers to ourselves
Moon and Antarctica in my opinion is one of the most dull and unexplosive albums that exist in the discography. Not only is it more focused on the slower ways in the music, it’s also at a point where Isaac broke his jaw and sounded absolutely nothing like he actually does. So it’s completely impossible that you’ll ever hear moon and Antarctica played accurately live, because it simply doesn’t sound like any of the other mouse discography.
-
Personally, I’d rate moon lower than we were dead because it’s really just a low point in the band that experiences something so drastically different it sounds nothing like modest mouse in the future or the past.
Most moon fans usually just say “yeah the atmosphere of it is great” and ok, that’s cool. However that basically just means that you think it’s better to get high and listen to for most of the album.
@@Hans-yo2cq I mostly agree with you (only in comparison to other MM albums; it's still a very good album), but 3rd Planet is a contender for best MM song.
@@Hans-yo2cq i think thats such an insane statement, to each their own.
@@Hans-yo2cqwrong
Moon & Artic is considered by many to be "their" best sounding album and also like baldy mentioned their most "artistic" with the acoustic guitar over dubs and themes of "losing faith in god/Idea of heaven being fake/Ressurection" in their songs(even tho brock claims he atheist, he plays with that idea the most on this album and many listeners related),
Fun fact Issac got his jaw broken during the recording sessions of M&A by some guys in the parking lot of the studio while he was on a alcohol/drug binge and he re-recorded all the guitar riffs/sections and said that he had to fill in the empty spots of the record with more guitar over dubs because his jaw was wired shout for 6 months.
I personally would Rank it in the S category.
that’s why its overrated its ironically worshipped by the pseudo artistic atheist of the early 2000s they're the same direction less trust fund women who listen to phoebe bridger today
I’ve always been super interested in diving into Modest Mouses catalogue after hearing their more popular tracks so I’m excited to use this as a jumping in point
Enjoy. They're the greatest.
Just remember that moon and Antarctica is an S tier album, not a B tier album!
And then you'll come back and be mad at the placement of Moon and Antarctica haha
@@PrincessWhatsername I totally am, lol
Building Nothing out of Something must be S+ and that's why it wasn't mentioned here.
It makes me feel weird when you refer to us as modest little mouses
Other peoples lives is the most underrated MM song. Building something out of nothing isn't technically an album, but would have loved to see Anthony mention it.
Even though it’s technically a compilation it holds together so well
In high school I didn’t know it was a compilation, it was one of my favorite albums. Still one I go back to all the time.
other peoples lives is one of my favorite songs
I wish I could like this comment twice.
@@jonarbuckle2490 What's the difference?
Never thought I would see the day but I’m so glad to see a mm tier list
wym long drive has a sound that was never captured again, lonesome crowded west has a similar sound. they're like a pair, long drive is the rural version and lonesome crowded west is the city version
That's a fantastic way to put it. And the longer drawn out parts of like Lounge or Ohio were present on Moon & Antarctica as well.
My favorite band of all time.
My ranking:
S: The Moon & Antarctica, The Lonesome Crowded West
A: This is a Long Drive, Good News
B: Building Nothing Out of Something, We Were Dead
C: Strangers to Ourselves, Sad Sappy Sucker
D: N/A
E: N/A
F: N/A
Building nothing is a tier imo but other than that this is exactly my list
Swap Good News and Building and I think you've got it!
You're so right about Good News being looked at as not that good for the simple fact that it got so big. All the indie snobs turned their nose up at it for that reason I know cause I was one of those people but in fact it is an amazing album.
This is a Long Drive is an amazing album. Sometimes it's hard for me to listen to it, not because it is inaccessible to me, but because how easily it depresses me. Beautiful and Meditative, yet Bleak and Soul-sucking. Not a lot of albums like it.
I used to listen to Modest Mouse almost religiously a few years ago. I’m thankful for them
Moi aussi
I feel like the I’m the only person who actually likes strangers to ourselves
I think it’s a good album, but if you’re comparing it to their other work it is severely lacking.
Nope, one of my favourite albums in general.
I really didn't like it when it came out which was a crazy shock to me as a huge MM fan. It took probably 6 months or so of regular-ish listening before it really clicked and I genuinely love it now.
Screw em, I loved it. No shame.
I like it a lot as well.
Tom Waits teir list next?
Man, Daft Punk splitting up and now M&A in B tier? This must be the darkest timeline
You should do one for pink floyd since you haven’t talked about them much before
A Needle Drop Pink Floyd Worst to Best/Tier List is the Snyder Cut of this channel
@@thegroove14 bet Piper at the Gates of Dawn is way too high
@@dclarkmusic bet The Division Bell is exactly where it's supposed to be, though.
@@Snarl_Marx F tier, yeah definitely
Just give A Momentary Lapse of Reason the proper respect it deserves.
Bro the “dancy talking heads influence” was Johnny Marrs guitar playing on the record.
I was trying to describe We Were Dead to someone and I said "yeah they had some guitar player on loan that I think was in some other bands." I didn't realize how much of an understatement that was until I looked up Marr's career.
@@cloudbroken IMO Marr is the king of indie rock.
The lonesome crowded west has at least 7 or 8 10/10 perfect songs
The Moon & Antarctica has 15 perfect songs tho
Everything Isaac has wrote is great 🤪
Hey Anthony, just wanted to let you know you accidentally put The Moon and Antarctica in the wrong category! Obviously it belongs at the very top! thanks bb 😘💗💕
Moon and Antarctica is the best Modest Mouse album and I’m not even a Modest Mouse fan but I love that record
Wondering where you’d put Sharpen Your Teeth on this list from Issac’s side band Ugly Casanova. That album’s a damn masterpiece.
Honestly, we were dead before the ship even sank is pretty underrated imo. I really like it, it may not be as 'experimental' or 'focused' as previous releases, but it just makes me so happy every time i listen to it, It just has incredibly nice vibes to me, super catchy and laid-back, it's just a really pleasant listening experience for me. Its certainly not my favorite by them, but personally, I'd probably put it in the high B - low A tier.
You a real one for this bro. modest mouse was my favorite band in highschool, haven't listened to them in a while so this is super nostalgic for me
“Now this puts a smile on my face”
LCW and Long Drive are some of the best albums to have come from the mid to late 90s.
from the 90s period
It's like nobody cares about no one's first and you're next
Everywhere and His Nasty Parlour Tricks is better.
Their debut is so incredible. That's partially because it was produced by none other than Seasick Steve!
I have actually been waiting for years for this. As a Patreon supporter who just memes in your comment section, I want to say I appreciate this. Thank you orange fanta.
I definitely agree with most of this, but in my opinion We Were Dead deserves higher than C. It hits a different emotional chord than some of their other stuff (which is all amazing for the reasons you described). That being said, it's also the album that took the longest to grow on me.
Do a Microphones/Mount Eerie tier list please!
❤️
Whatcha Doin' is the only S Tier Phil Elverum track.
Everything else can get an S- though.
S tier: Fruit that ate itself, sad sappy sucker, long drive, lonesome
A tier: the moon, good news
Meh tier: everything else.
Casanova gets an A tier mention
Strangers To Ourselves is honestly extremely overlooked. I think it's easily one of their better records. Songs like Strangers to Ourselves, Shit in Your Cut, Tortoise and the Tourist and Of Course We Know are spine shivering. It's not as raw, production wise, as their other records but the song writing is really good and the record has a weird ominous energy to it.
Agreed. I had to jump into the comments to defend it also.
It's fucking great. I really feel like every album has been its own little experience/type of genre/feel and I think they delivered with this as much as any other album but also feel like they manage to get a more intricate type of sound with every album in a way I feel I really enjoy. I know some people think what makes them is their "simplicity" or "rawness", which personally I still think all their albums still have bits of that, but people also have to understand bands have to do something to keep it fresh for them and keep evolving their sound so they don't just end up making the same album 10 times... Which is honestly what it seems like lots of people would prefer for some reason
Life long Modest Mouse fan. Thank you for posting. I think this was a good list and challenged me in a good way. I disagree with putting Good News above Moon and Antarctica but you definitely made a solid case for putting Good News where it is. I’d just switch them on tiers. The Lyrics and headspace Moon puts you in takes a while but slowly became my favorite. Rest of the list is spot on.
gonna have to disagree, The moon & antarctica is easily s tier for me, my favorite modest mouse album
Lonsome crowded west and we were dead are peak music imo, and my opinion is correct.
I have never agreed with Melon more than his take on Good News. Great album
Everything said about Long Drive hits. So underrated in their discography. Still my favorite. Such a refreshing take.
I really think this would have been a perfect list to have extended plays on. Modest Mouse is significant for having deece EPs with beloved songs on them.
You're talking straight facts about Long Drive Anthony, and as a long-time fan who gets pushback on placing it over some of the ultra-classics, I appreciate you
and spot on regarding Good News, you make me feel so seen
I like how the song “barnacles” appears on every album, sometimes up front, sometimes morphed, sometimes buried almost beyond recognition.
Barnacles is not just one song, it is a meandering think tank which permeates a presence on all Modest Mouse albums. I have been to many MM shows and have lost my voice from shouting ‘Barnacles!!’ between songs and while on one occasion I am sure Isaac Brock heard my repeated requests, he dutifully blanked me and continued the performance without a rendition of barnacles, but he didn’t need too as the entire set of songs are all refashioned versions of Barnacles. The only album you don’t hear or feel the presence of Barnacles on is Strangers to Ourselves, this is why the album is poorly received. This comment is not a dig at Brocks writing skills, rather- this is a celebration of the true essence of all MM architecture that ends up being an album loved by many because indeed- like Dorothy and Toto leaving the colourful land of OZ and return to the bleak and barren sepia wastelands of Kansas with an eerie post-Twister lull, they are home again…and she realises all of the people in OZ were just representations of her reality, Kansas is “Home” so to -Barnacles is “home”
We Were Dead at C is crazy. I prefer it to Moon and Antarctica. Sure it sounds more straightforward and clean, but there are so many fantastic ideas, great production, a fun theme. Not an S but a very solid A for me.
I will always love the song Strangers to Ourselves, it's so amazing.
You're right "good news" is a fucking underdog masterpiece. Ocean breathes salty, float on, world at large. This was an epic album.
I wish you ranked Building Nothing Out of Something, that is one of my personal favorite Modest Mouse albums
i think that hard core MM fans are more fans of the EPs and comps that aren't in the list of actual albums. my favs are: Everywhere and his Nasty Parlor Tricks, as well as Night on the Sun EP, which was originally only released in Japan, and contains several demos.
Good News is a type of album you don't really see anymore: a crossover that melds indie authenticity with major label resources and craft. RIP :(
Huge Modest Mouse fan here!! I got a big hit of serotonin when I saw this in my recommended! While I agree with most of your choices, I'm gonna give a hard disagree that WWD is in C tier. Personally, I think it is incredibly underrated and that it should be B tier at the lowest (I'd give it an A, but MM is my favorite band of all time so...). My reason for this is that, despite the band becoming larger (up until Good News, MM consisted of only 3 members) and adopting a more mainstream/pop sound, they still really hit a sweet spot with this album.
You have March Into the Sea, where Isaac's vocal delivery really shines and compliments the lyrics as they both descend into madness and paint a hellscape by the end of the song. You have Parting of the Sensory, an existential nihilistic view on life, where the instruments are foreboding and droning, but lead up to a chaotic end, full of inherent anger that has the same feel as almost all of LCW (have you heard the first dissonant chord in this song before it picks up??? It's such a strong feeling). You have two great stand-alone songs with Dashboard and Missed the Boat that, despite the pop-y feel, still deliver darker lyrics. Little Motel, Fly Trapped in a Jar, People as Places, are all really great songs. And Spitting Venom??? One of the best MM songs there is. Absolutely should have been the closer on the album.
I could just gush and get into detail on almost all of the songs, but I am getting too passionate about this, haha.... Would have loved to have seen Building Nothing Out of Something (especially since you included SSS), Interstate 8, Everywhere and His Nasty Parlour Tricks, and No One's First and You're Next on this list, despite them not being considered full albums, because songs like Other People's Lives, edit the Sad Parts, Night on the Sun, and King Rat (just to name 4 truly incredible songs that wouldn't have been in any of the albums in the video) deserve recognition.
Anyway, huge rant! I am just really passionate about MM and I'm glad a big youtuber spoke very positively of them and I hope it gets more people interested in listening! Still waiting on a new album and hoping it isn't StO part 2 and that it is personally loved from the first listen.... :')
Unpopular Opinion: Though it doesn't have my all-time favourite songs, Strangers to Ourselves is my favourite album.
I found Fantano’s complete disdain for it baffling. Only a couple songs maybe I’ll skip (especially the Ground Walks which sounds like a weaker, extended version of Dashboard), but overall so many cool ideas and catchy tunes. Sugar Boats, the Best Room and Of Course We Know would be my faves. Also credit to Pistol for being one of their strangest songs (and inspired by the guy who killed Versace!)
Long Drive is easily my favourite, some of the vocals may not be as fleshed out as on later projects but overall the vibes I get from that album are unmatched to date
I know you’re more than likely never gonna do it but how about a built to spill list?
That would be so awesome
We were dead is easily their most underrated. A friend of mine and i are currently doing a top ten tracks list for them, and there are just so many bangers on that album: March, Dashboard, Florida, Education, Little Motel, People as Places, Invisible I mean cmon man it’s just great.
Also Strangers is only terrible to indie snobs, it’s B/C by unbiased standards
Fantano is just mad he got eaten by a pack of wild family dogs. Do a Spoon tier list melon.
A wild pack of family dogs
Came running through the yard
As little Cal played
The dogs took him away
And I guess he was eaten up, okay
Yeah, he was eaten up, okay
My Melon's crying melon juice now
My melon's crying melon juice now
Melon put Moon in B-tier now
This is great
Me and the other five Interstate 8 and Building Nothing Out of Something fans are punching the air right now.
Long Drive is my favourite album of all time and hearing Fantano talk so highly of it made me punch the air
The Best Room? Pups to Dust? C'mon, strangers to ourselves has some great tracks on it. It certainly isn't abbey road, but there are a few spots here and there that made the project worth while - I think it was more of an issue of the band's production process being too cluttered more than it was them selling out (I'd also blame the fact that we haven't seen StO's second part on that reason too).
I'd really like to see the band either go completely insane with its arrangements (full orchestra type of thing), or Isaac just make a solo album. Modest mouse just wasn't built to support 3 guitarists, a violinist, a double bass and a synthesizer, part of what made those earlier albums so cool was the crooked ways the members all approached their instruments, and how those approaches perfectly complemented their peers. Jeremiah Green is so sick, yet there hasn't been a groove as wicked at trucker's atlas since 2007, when they got a second drummer.
Still, I would shave my eyebrows off if it meant I could hear a new album from them, its just been too long.
Good job melon, but I'm not satisfied until you do an accurate ranking of the Guided By Voices discography
The problem with doing a comprehensive GBV ranking is that it would go at least 2 albums out of date while filming.
Johnny Marr plays on We Were Dead that's probably were all the post punk comes from
if interstate 8s not IN the top im flipping tables Jesus style.
edit: I'm actually gonna cry
Rest in peace Jeremiah
that "hope you're doing well" was your funniest one so far
Hilarious
4:22 epic voice crack, thank you Anthony
Oh damn Moon & Antarctica B? Understandable tbh, though personally it’s my number 1, I really like it
1:52 Dramamine and Life did it For me.
S - Good News, Lonesome Crowded, Moon & Antarctica
B - We were Dead, Long Drive, Sad Sappy
C - Stranger To Ourselves
Stranger is admittedly flawed, but has some undeniable tunes like Shit in Your Cut & The Tortoise and the Tourist - I think an E is very harsh!
I loved We Were Dead and it was always my favorite album. Then I stopped dragging my feet and listened to Lonesome West in its entirety. And man, now it’s complicated to how I view their popular era.