10). Trailer Trash — Modest MouseIsaac Brock’s lyrics are often enigmatic, leaving it up to the listener to piece together what he’s talking about. To me, “Trailer Trash” paints a picture of Brock’s chaotic upbringing in the Pacific Northwest (“eating snowflakes with plastic forks” in “trailers with no class”) and illustrates the struggle of pursuing your dreams in a depressed, hopeless community where no one believes you will succeed. “Trailer Trash” is about transcending your background and succeeding on your own, in Brock’s case by starting a transcendent band. The cathartic, whammy-bar-heavy guitar solo at the end convinces us that he’s left the past behind.
11). Underground — Tom WaitsOn Swordfishtrombones, Tom Waits abandoned his neo-beatnik barfly persona and embraced a stranger, richer and more unique sound. Instead of sounding like the piano player at last call, his music seemed to inhabit an entirely different realm from the rest of the world of music. “Underground,” the first track onSwordfishtrombones, is a perfect introduction to the new Tom Waits. “There’s a rumblin’ groan down below,” growls Tom Waits, “A place I’ve found, there’s a world going on underground.” It must have come as a shock to those fans that were used to Waits’ more singer-songwriterly tropes to hear about the world that’s awake when the rest of the world is asleep.
12). Jocko Homo — DevoIn which the immortal question “Are We Not Men?” is answered with a definitive “WE ARE DEVO!” Or more accurately, “yes, but we are very strange men.” This song is best understood in the context of the film “The Truth About De-Evolution,” which the band often featured before they played live in concert. Weird. Anyway, the song and video for “Jocko Homo” neatly summarize the worldview and ethos of Devo as a band, establishing them as mutants from the future, here to educate the world about De-Evolution, which seems to involve surgical masks and robotic dancing. “Jocko Homo” shows how a mythology can shape a band’s music and image and create a clear identity to stand out among the thousands of bands that start up each and everyday.
13). Ziggy Stardust — David BowieDavid Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust character is probably the most famous instance of a musician creating his own alter ego, in this case, a super sexy, golden voiced guitar player from Mars who his bandmates plot to murder because they are jealous of all the sex he’s having. You can’t expect somebody who creates a persona for himself to be modest. “Ziggy Stardust” is appropriately one of the greatest straight up rock songs in Bowie’s formidable discography. Driven by Mick Ronson’s arena rock guitar riff and Bowie’s vocal ad-libs, Bowie posits himself as a space alien, fresh from conquering Mars, coming to Earth to entertain the masses.
14). The Dismemberment Plan Gets Rich — The Dismemberment PlanIn what could be the fastest two and a half minutes in music history, Travis Morrison and company make friends with the mafia, invest in bioweapons and minerals and establish a network of satellites to coordinate a vast international operation. Oh, and “Joe got caught aboard a bout with seven tons of opium.” “Gets Rich” is a glorious goof, suggesting that the band members are merely taking a break from their lives as international criminal billionaires to put on a show for you. This creates a fake backstory, far more interesting than the band’s real status as heroes of the second wave of hardcore. So many memorable lines, too bad you can’t understand any of them. Here’s hoping Soundman Phil’s next Senate bid is more successful.
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