King Rat (song)

Last updated
"King Rat"
King rat.JPG
Single by Modest Mouse
from the album No One's First, and You're Next
ReleasedMarch 20, 2007
Length5:27
Label Epic Records
Songwriter(s) Isaac Brock, Jeremiah Green, Eric Judy, Joe Plummer, Johnny Marr, Tom Peloso
Producer(s) Dennis Herring
Modest Mouse singles chronology
"Dashboard"
(2007)
"King Rat"
(2007)
"Missed the Boat"
(2007)

"King Rat" is a song by indie rock band Modest Mouse and appears as the title track to their fifth promotional single, following "The World At Large". The single was later released on the band's 2009 EP No One's First, and You're Next . The promo also features the song "Fire It Up" from their 2007 album We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank .

Contents

The promo was given away through multiple online music stores when the individual purchased a pre-order of We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank. The promo features the track "King Rat", later included on the "Dashboard" single, on the A-side, and "Fire It Up" on the B-side, although some discs are mislabeled, with Side A having "Fire It Up" and Side B having "King Rat" instead.

Isaac Brock had stated in an interview published on 10 April 2007 that the band intended to release the song on an EP at a later date, along with other tracks that did not make the album We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank. [1]

Music video

During a boat trip with family and friends while on a visit to his native Australia in January 2007, actor Heath Ledger outlined a music video idea for the then unreleased song to frontman Isaac Brock and other band members. [2] [3] Modest Mouse, who had befriended Ledger through their tour manager, [1] had been touring Australia at the time. [4]

The animated video, which was "fully conceived down to the last detail but unfinished" [3] when Ledger died in January 2008, was completed by members of Los Angeles art collective/production company The Masses, made up of Daniel Auber (co-director and illustrator), Norris Houk (lead animator), Jade Taglioli (animator) and Sara Cline (producer). Ledger, who had also been part of The Masses, received a director's credit. Earlier media reports [1] [2] [5] claiming that Terry Gilliam would handle the animation work did not prove to be true. [6] [7]

The video debuted on 4 August 2009—the same day the EP No One's First and You're Next was released—on MySpace [8] and The Masses' website. [9]

Ledger, who was opposing "the illegal commercial whale hunts taking place off the coast of Australia each year," intended the video—which depicts whales poaching humans to make pet food - "to raise awareness on modern whaling practices." [3] Furthermore, proceeds from iTunes purchases of the song, in its first month on iTunes, were donated to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, who actively intervene with whale hunting. [10]

Track listing

Side A: "King Rat" – 5:27
Side B: "Fire It Up" – 4:35

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terry Gilliam</span> British filmmaker, comedian and actor

Terrence Vance Gilliam is an American–born British filmmaker, comedian, collage animator and actor. He gained stardom as a member of the Monty Python comedy troupe alongside John Cleese, Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Terry Jones, and Graham Chapman. Together they collaborated on the sketch series Monty Python's Flying Circus (1969–1974) and the films Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Life of Brian (1979) and The Meaning of Life (1983). In 1988, they received the BAFTA Award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema. In 2009, Gilliam received the BAFTA Fellowship for lifetime achievement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Modest Mouse</span> American rock band

Modest Mouse is an American rock band formed in 1993 in Issaquah, Washington, and currently based in Portland, Oregon. The founding members were lead singer/guitarist Isaac Brock, drummer Jeremiah Green and bassist Eric Judy. Strongly influenced by Pavement, Pixies, XTC, and Talking Heads, they rehearsed, rearranged, and recorded demos for almost two years before finally signing with small-town indie label K Records and releasing numerous singles. They achieved critical acclaim for their 1997 album The Lonesome Crowded West and found mainstream success with the release of Good News for People Who Love Bad News (2004), and its singles "Float On" and "Ocean Breathes Salty".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Autolux</span> American rock band

Autolux is an American alternative rock band from Los Angeles, California in 2001. The group formed as a trio and have released three full-length albums, Future Perfect (2004), Transit Transit (2010) and Pussy's Dead (2016). Their sound draws from post-punk, electronic music, krautrock and shoegaze.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Modest Mouse discography</span> Band discography.

The discography of Modest Mouse, an American indie rock band, consists of seven studio albums, six extended plays, two compilation albums, four low fidelity cassette releases, one live album, 25 singles, and nine reissues. Three of their releases have been certified at least Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments in excess of 500,000 copies. One release has further been certified Platinum, for shipments in excess of 1,000,000 copies.

<i>We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank</i> 2007 studio album by Modest Mouse

We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank is the fifth studio album by American alternative rock band Modest Mouse, released in 2007. It followed their previous studio album, 2004's Good News for People Who Love Bad News. It is the band's only full-length with former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr as a member. It is also their last with founding member and bassist Eric Judy. It has a strong nautical theme and was originally envisioned as a concept album about a boat crew that dies in every song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dashboard (song)</span> 2007 single by Modest Mouse

"Dashboard" is a song by American indie rock band Modest Mouse and is the second track on their 2007 album We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank. The song was released as the first single from that album and peaked at number 5 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart. It debuted and peaked at #61 in the Billboard Hot 100 in early February 2007. In late May 2007, the song was released as a single in the United Kingdom with "King Rat" as the B-side. This single coincided with the band's UK tour. This song was #87 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Missed the Boat</span> 2007 single by Modest Mouse

"Missed the Boat" is a song by American indie rock band Modest Mouse and is the sixth track on their 2007 album, We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank. The song was released as the second single from that album and peaked at #24 in Billboard's Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Plummer</span> American drummer

Joseph E. Plummer is an American drummer from Portland, Oregon. From 2004 to 2012, Plummer was a percussionist and drummer for the indie rock band Modest Mouse and performed on their album, We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank.

"We've Got Everything" is a single by American indie band Modest Mouse and is the seventh track on their 2007 album We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank. James Mercer of The Shins sings backup vocals. On June 13, 2007, an animated video, directed by mtvU's Best Film on Campus Modest Mouse Video Contest winner Joe Stakun, for We've Got Everything was featured on MTV's Battle of the Videos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lazer Beam</span> 2005 single by Super Furry Animals

"Lazer Beam" is a single by Super Furry Animals. It was the only single to be released from the Love Kraft album and reached #28 in the UK Singles Chart, and as of 2023, remains their last UK Top 40 hit. The song is "about making your own reality" and tells the story of aliens coming down to earth to shoot humans with laser beams which "make them intelligent rather than being jerks". Some of singer Gruff Rhys's lyrics were lifted from a speech made by Tony Blair at the Labour Party Conference in 2004.

Torch is a Norwegian metalcore band from Trondheim, Norway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heath Ledger</span> Australian actor (1979–2008)

Heath Andrew Ledger was an Australian actor. After playing roles in several Australian television and film productions during the 1990s, he moved to the United States in 1998 to further develop his film career. His work consisted of 20 films in a variety of genres, including 10 Things I Hate About You (1999), The Patriot (2000), A Knight's Tale (2001), Monster's Ball (2001), Casanova (2005), Lords of Dogtown (2005), Brokeback Mountain (2005), Candy (2006), I'm Not There (2007), The Dark Knight (2008), and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009), the latter two of which were posthumously released. He also produced and directed music videos and aspired to be a film director.

Walter Robot is a creative studio founded by artist Bill Barminski and director Christopher Louie. They work in multiple mediums including film, television, art and sculpture. Their film work has screened at several film festivals, including the Sundance Film Festival and the Los Angeles Film Festival where in 2012 the festival hosted a retrospective of their work. Their artwork has been showcased in several installations and galleries in Los Angeles, New York and London. In 2014, to much critical success, they worked with the world-renowned Cleveland Orchestra and staged the first ever interactive animated version of The Cunning Little Vixen opera.

The Boxing Lesson is a rock band from Austin, Texas. A power trio with synthesizers performing the bass player's role, they create a mammoth psychedelic 'wall of sound' that begins minimally and builds into grand orchestrations. Vocalist and guitarist Paul Waclawsky and synthesizer player Jaylinn Davidson combine strong songwriting with desert rock, guitar freak-outs, soul space jams and plenty of Texas rock ’n’ roll thunder.

<i>No Ones First, and Youre Next</i> 2009 EP by Modest Mouse

No One's First, and You're Next is an EP by American indie rock band Modest Mouse, released on August 4, 2009. It features unreleased tracks and B-sides from the band's previous two studio albums, Good News for People Who Love Bad News (2004) and We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank (2007). The collection of repolished outtakes was first mentioned in February 2008 when Rolling Stone conducted a short interview with frontman Isaac Brock in their "Smoking Section" column; however, no other news regarding its release surfaced until an entire year later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Satellite Skin</span> 2009 single by Modest Mouse

"Satellite Skin" is a single released by indie rock band Modest Mouse. It is the first single from their EP, No One's First and You're Next.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Built by Snow</span>

Built By Snow is an American four-piece rock band based in Austin, Texas formed in 2006. To date, the band has released one EP, and one mini-full-length album. The band has described themselves as "Catchy keyboard indie pop rock with an explosion of velcro melodies and magnetic hooks that hit your brain like an Atari blasting out of a bazooka."

<i>Mad</i> (Hadouken! EP) 2009 EP by Hadouken!

The M.A.D. EP is a 2009 EP by new rave band Hadouken!. It was released on 14 September 2009. It was released in the UK as a digital download EP, however, a CD single is available in Japan. M.A.D. stands for Mutually Assured Destruction. The title track later appeared on the band's second studio album, For the Masses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Lights Out</span> American rock band

The Lights Out is a rock band that formed in 2005 in Boston, Massachusetts. A band not signed to a major record label, they have nevertheless been able to sustain themselves, self-releasing a string of EPs and full-length albums since 2007.

<i>Cause an Effect</i> 2006 studio album by Nfa

Cause An Effect is the first album by the former 1200 Techniques frontman, N'fa. The Australian hip hop artist collaborated with various producers around the world including Roots Manuva, Mr Yoshiaki, DJ Peril and Deceptikonz. Three singles were released from the album, "Seduction is Evil ", "Cause An Effect" and "Universal King ". The actor Heath Ledger conceived and directed two music videos for the album, "Seduction Is Evil ", and the title track "Cause An Effect", with the latter being edited by Matt Amato from Amato and Ledger's production company, The Masses.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Heather Adler (2007-04-10). "(Not So) Modest Mouse Speaks". Dose.ca. Canwest Publishing. Archived from the original on 2008-04-05. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
  2. 1 2 "Exclusive: Modest Mouse Frontman Talks Cutting Self, Heath Ledger Collab". VH1. 2007-04-06. Archived from the original on 2007-08-30. Retrieved 2009-08-05.
  3. 1 2 3 "King Rat Video directed by Heath Ledger to premiere on MySpace Music starting 8/4". MySpace. 2009-08-03. Archived from the original on 2009-08-07. Retrieved 2009-08-05. "Modest Mouse 'King Rat' Directed by Heath Ledger". MTV.com. 2009-08-04. Retrieved 2009-08-05.
  4. "Modest Mouse". The Frontier Touring Company. 2006. Retrieved 2009-08-05.[ permanent dead link ]
  5. William Goodman (2009-03-13). "Modest Mouse to Release Heath Ledger Video". Spin . Retrieved 2009-08-05.
  6. Cara Alwill (2009-03-18). "Modest Mouse's Heath Ledger-Directed Video: The Facts". MTV Networks . Retrieved 2008-08-06.
  7. Note that Los Angeles-based concept designer Daniel Auber has worked on three of Gilliam's feature films: The Brothers Grimm, Tideland (both 2005) and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009).
  8. "Video Modest Mouse - King Rat van Modest Mouse - MySpace Video". Vids.myspace.com. Archived from the original on 2009-08-10. Retrieved 2010-03-26.
  9. "Modest Mouse "King Rat"". We Are The Masses. Archived from the original on 2010-03-30. Retrieved 2010-03-26.
  10. ""King Rat" Modest Mouse Video Directed by Heath Ledger Supports". Sea Shepherd. 2009-08-03. Archived from the original on 2009-08-12. Retrieved 2010-03-26.