December 2014, I had finished the first semester of my second year of university. In one of my modules, there was a coursework assignment in which you could either create a graphic novel or carry out a creative project that you then had to write a commentary about. I chose the latter, and for that project I decided to make a music video. That’s right. And it was the holiday period, it was a time to appreciate friends and family. I knew I’d be seeing them a lot in that time. It just so happened that Modest Mouse’s ‘One Chance’ contained a sentiment that I thought was appropriate for it. So that’s the song I chose. That music video is on my YouTube channel, under a private setting, and no one else will ever be able to see it except me. But I got the highest grade you could get for it and the commentary too, so it was well worth it.
‘One Chance’ is the penultimate track on Good News for People Who Love Bad News, the band’s album released in 2004, and is another case of frontman Isaac Brock’s ponderings on life as a whole and the existential dread that can come along with it. However, he doesn’t appear to be as abstract or sharply witty in his lyrics as he is usually known to be. Nope, in this track he bluntly states that all we have is this one lifetime to do what we have to do and get it done right. He mentions his deep appreciation for his friends and family, juxtaposing it with the sadness felt when some of his loved ones pass away prematurely. And then there’s that whole added pressure of feeling small and insignificant when you consider that we’re all living on this ball floating in space. It’s something that weighs on Brock’s mind. But musically it’s delivered in a tight three minute band performance, quite the change from the experimental and sometimes brash route that the band had established in the previous records.
There are times when Brock’s yowling and hollering down the microphone like it’s no one’s business, but for the majority ‘One Chance’ is very much accessible and pleasantly melodic, very much like every other song on the album. I’d like to highlight bassist Eric Judy’s bass parts during the verse, playing the same pattern while slowly making its way up the fretboard. Very fluid and memorable too. I have a feeling this track’s a little overlooked. Coming in that second to last spot on the album, it’s at a position where listeners are usually waiting to hear how the record closes. But there’s a hidden gem in ‘One Chance’; it’s probably one of my favourite songs by the group.
The Music in My Ears 