The mid-nineties was a glorious time for music, it was a period of time that saw the popularization of an oft-overlooked genre of “indie rock”. Much like Buddence “Buddy” Lembeck, from the 80’s “Charles in Charge” Isaac Brock and Modest Mouse was able to sneak into our lives with just a hint of confusion as to from whence they came and utter enjoyment once the scale of their greatness sunk in.

The ninth track from the second EP released by popular (even at the time!) indie rock group Modest Mouse, titled “Broke” is a sobering song about self-restraint, defeatism, and aimless disappointment. From the second verse “Broke your glasses, but it broke the ice/You said I was an asshole and I paid the price” through the sixth, “Broke up, and I’m relieved somehow”, Isaac Brock paints a picture of a serendipitous meeting over a pair of broken glasses culminating with apathy and suicide.

The soft and circular guitar melody takes the listener on a journey of sadness and depression, using financial and emotional hardships to bring to light a deeper physical hardship. Alcoholism and debt make dangerous bedfellows, and the waxing and waning electric guitar add stark realism to the topic.

Isaac Brock manages to play not just the strings of his low-fi guitar, but the strings of my heart as well.

Mp3: Modest Mouse-Broke