And here is where I abandon every single amount of musical elitism I’ve built up and out myself as the poser I am.

Because this is my favorite Modest Mouse record—by a pretty significant margin.

Maybe it’s because it’s the first record of theirs that I heard. Maybe it’s because at the deepest core of my being, I am a pirate and am thus a sucker for anything nautical-themed.

Or maybe it’s just because it’s a really, really great record.

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Every once in a while, a record comes around that completely transcends what it was trying to do.

For example, no one ever would have guessed that what started as an emo-leaning indie band with a manic, ranting lead singer would one day release a pop song as perfect as “Float On.” Yet fifteen years later after that song hit #68 on the Billboard charts, it remains an indelible part of the cultural consciousness.

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