#258 (of 365) "Alone Down There" Modest Mouse

My Modest Mouse origin story is as follows. Back in 2000, I was a subscriber to the CMJ College Music Monthly magazine, which was a journal of indie rock songs that included a 20+ track CD of new songs that weren't play on any radio station anywhere I could access at the time. And this was right before Napster and file sharing made its way to me (I used Kazaa, eventually) so these monthly CDs were almost my only way to access new music/bands at the time. One of the CDs in 2000 had "3rd Planet" on it, the opening track of Modest Mouse's third album, The Moon and Antarctica. And I fell in love instantly. So I bought the CD and I distinctly remembering listening through the first 9 tracks, past "Alone Down There" (track #8) to the nearly 9-minute languorous centerpiece of the album "The Stars are Projectors". Then I stopped. I was like "eh" I don't think so. And put the album away.

Six months later, after discovering Neutral Milk Hotel via Merge Records mailings and then discovering Pitchfork media via their effusive coverage of NMH's In the Aeroplane over the Sea, I learned about a plethora of indie rock albums released around the time that received similar effusive praise. Including Modest Mouse. Including The Moon and Antarctica. Which I owned and was sitting on a shelf under my stereo system unplayed all the way through. I gave it another listen. "3rd Planet" - still awesome. "Alone Down There" - amazing. And in the 2nd half that I had never listened to came both "Paper Thin Walls" and "Lives," two incredible songs as well. I started listening to the album a lot and loving most of it.

A month or so later, I was down in Jacksonville for work and got out early. I stumbled upon a record store near the beach (I'm not sure how--I don't think Google maps existed, maybe it was happen stance) and while browsing, I found Modest Mouse's The Lonesome Crowded West and bought that CD. I went down to the beach and sat there in my work clothes on the sand listening to the CD in my portable CD player and non airPods headphones (it was primitive back then!) and Modest Mouse became one of my favorite bands of all time.

I don't listen to them much anymore and this song is the only song from The Moon and Antarctica that made this countdown. But they still have 8 total tracks on this list, including 4 from Lonesome Crowded West (including one that will not be revealed until we reach the top 10). And looking at this video from 2001, back before I was going to concerts again so regularly, I really regret not being a part of this early 2000s scene. This song fucking rips.

"Alone Down There" - Modest Mouse // The Moon and Antarctica (2000)