From their 1996 debut album This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About onwards, the band's lineup mostly centered on Brock and Green, undergoing multiple changes.

Guitarist Johnny Marr (formerly of the Smiths) joined the band in 2006, shortly following percussionist Joe Plummer (formerly of the Black Heart Procession) and multi-instrumentalist Tom Peloso, to work on the album We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank (2007).

Brock and Judy later discovered drummer Jeremiah Green,[1] who also resided near Seattle, at a heavy metal show, at which point they decided to make music together.

The album, produced by Califone's Brian Deck during five months of sessions in Chicago,[5] was met with critical acclaim,[6] including a 9.8/10 score from online music magazine Pitchfork Media, despite concerns about releasing material on a major label.

[8] The band licensed "Gravity Rides Everything" for a Nissan Quest minivan advertisement, a move that Brock has publicly acknowledged as blatantly commercial but necessary to achieve financial stability.

Regarding the commercial, Brock stated, "People who don't have to make their living playing music can bitch about my principles while they spend their parents' money or wash dishes for some asshole.

"[9] In 2001, Modest Mouse released the EP Everywhere and His Nasty Parlour Tricks, a collection of unused songs from the recording sessions of The Moon & Antarctica.

In 2002, the band joined Cake, De La Soul, The Flaming Lips, The Hackensaw Boys and Kinky on the Unlimited Sunshine Tour.

[10] In March 2003, Green left the band after suffering a nervous breakdown;[11] official reports stated he was leaving to work with his side project, Vells.

Drummer Benjamin Weikel joined the band, replacing Green, along with Murder City Devils guitarist Dann Gallucci, who had previously played with Modest Mouse.

The following August, the album was certified Platinum,[1] having two hits with "Float On" and "Ocean Breathes Salty" (both of which they performed on Saturday Night Live on November 13, 2004).

Ledger proposed an outline for a music video to the group, and with his film collective, the Masses, immediately began working on it once he had the band's approval.

Modest Mouse released singles for the songs "Satellite Skin", "Autumn Beds" and "Perpetual Motion Machine" in limited edition—a total of 4,000 copies each—vinyl 7 inches, featuring artwork by art director and illustrator Joshua Marc Levy, J. Alex Stamos, and Natasha Wheat.

The lineup also included the additions of multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Lisa Molinaro, and percussionist Ben Massarella, the latter of whom previously played percussion on The Moon & Antarctica.

In June of that same year, Pitchfork.tv released a 45-minute documentary on The Lonesome Crowded West, which included archival footage taken during live performances and original recording/mix sessions.

In the fall of 2014 Modest Mouse re-released their first two albums, This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About and The Lonesome Crowded West, on CD and vinyl through Isaac Brock's Glacial Pace record label.

On December 16, 2014, Modest Mouse made Strangers to Ourselves available for pre-order for CD and LP formats on the Glacial Pace website and on the iTunes store.

[32] In the midst of a tour celebrating the 25th anniversary of The Lonesome Crowded West, drummer and founding member Jeremiah Green took an unannounced leave of absence.

Marcy Donelson of AllMusic called Modest Mouse's sound "a volatile mix of punk-inspired rawness and simmering atmosphere" showing tendencies of "light-hearted pop".