10. "Float On" by Modest Mouse (2004)

With this rollicking existential sing-along, Modest Mouse reconfigured its recurring theme of death-in-life (perfected over several albums) and turned the ragged despair into a populist anthem that dares any listener to disagree or change the station. The song is truly Good News for People Who Love Bad News, as it suggests that, at the very least, "we will float on anyway." Not unlike Robert Frost's three-word summary of life: "it goes on." Yet, for some reason, our reading public generally fails to consider the "sigh" of that narrator remembering the two roads that diverged in the yellow wood. In this song, Modest Mouse just makes that same sigh more explicit.

Comparing Isaac Brock to Frost, you wonder? Well, Brock's lyrical approach in this and other songs can best be described as both the spider and the moth. And the questions Brock poses are no different than those in "Design"-- what of these assorted characters of death and blight? And what of design to govern things so small?

For the video, click here.

Why listen? Isaac Brock, one of the decade's most vital songwriters, discovers the power of populism and writes an arresting song that even people who buy music at Wal-Mart will appreciate and understand. People like you and me.

Something else? "Gravity Rides Everything," "Tiny Cities Made of Ashes," "The World At Large," "The Ocean Breathes Salty."