POPSCREEN: Modest Mouse

Get a big screen, turn up the volume, and dance: Isaac Brock and the boys deliver a fisherman’s tale. Unapologetically dancier than older Modest Mouse tracks, “Dashboard” is a simple song that some may find a bit too tailored for radio. But really, this video isn’t about trying to say something new; it’s about fun, friends, and fish.

Telling the tragic tale of a retired tidal traveler, the video shows a few old salts recalling their glory days on the ocean over pints of grog. But one yarn seems to top them all: Brock’s story about pursuing the one fish that got away. We are taken through the expert mariner’s trials, and we get to see how he lost his hand.

The lyrics themselves actually have nothing to do with the video, and the story unfolds through a series of creative visual gimmicks, including detailed costumes and digital scenery. The song itself seems very much like a direct sequel to “Float On,” with its syncopated beat and über-positive lyrics, but that doesn’t really take away from the experience.

“Dashboard” is just cool—whether Modest Mouse was going for rock opera or merely trying to do something different, the video never takes itself seriously, and it makes great use of some clever ideas. Perhaps inspired by the latest “Pirates of the Caribbean” flick, the age-old story of man vs. fish comes through with a few new twists.