For a band that had spent the late ‘90s weaving anxious existential crisis songs in near-obscurity Good News For People Who Love Bad News felt like a sharp left turn for Modest Mouse. At the center of it all was “Float On”, a song so relentlessly optimistic it felt almost suspicious (especially coming from the notoriously cynical Isaac Brock). But there it was, a three-minute indie anthem complete with a singalong chorus. It was on every alt-rock station, in commercials, on MTV’s TRL. Hell my mom even knew the chorus to this one which is saying something considering her love for The Carpenters and all things Christian rock.
Along with being a nice chunk of coin in Modest Mouse’s pocket, the commercial success of “Float On” also helped underscore the point being made in the mid-aughts that indie rock could be mainstream without losing its edge. They were a number of college radio bands (think The Shins, Death Cab for Cutie, Arcade Fire) that were walking out of the shadows. The guitars were still wiry, the lyrics were still weird, but there was something universal in the bounce in the step of that genre which matched the footsteps of the public consciousness during that era.
Standout Songs: “Float On”, “The World At Large”, “Ocean Breathes Salty”, “Bukowski”, “The View”
