Alternative Rock on Modest Walrus

Reaction How to Disappear Completely by Radiohead

Sat, 27 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Why I Reacted To This Song

It came on as a radio follow-up and it’s just so haunting. The strings pulled me in immediately and I couldn’t skip past it.

Original by Artist

About This Song

“How to Disappear Completely” appears on Radiohead’s 2000 album Kid A, produced by the band with Nigel Godrich. Thom Yorke wrote it after a moment of dissociation on tour, taking advice from Michael Stipe to mentally repeat “I’m not here, this isn’t happening” to get through overwhelming situations. Jonny Greenwood arranged the strings, performed with the Orchestra of St John’s, building the song around a detuned guitar drone beneath the orchestration.

Reaction Wake Me Up When September Ends by Green Day

Tue, 23 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Why I Reacted To This Song

I was in middle school when I heard Green Day for the first time. Evolving to recent days, Green Day was my jam. Father’s Day just passed and I’m missing my father, so this one hit differently this time around.

Original by Artist

About This Song

“Wake Me Up When September Ends” was written by Billie Joe Armstrong and released in 2004 on Green Day’s album American Idiot. Armstrong wrote it about losing his own father to cancer when he was just 10 years old and that grief runs through every line. It became one of the band’s biggest singles and despite later being associated with other tragedies because of its timing, remains at its core a deeply personal song about loss.

Reaction Everlong by Foo Fighters

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Why I Reacted To This Song

Foo Fighters have been a constant in my life and “Everlong” is the song that defines them. It’s one of those tracks that never loses its grip. The energy, the melody and the emotion. It all comes together perfectly. Hard to ignore a song this good.

About This Song

“Everlong” was released in 1997 on Foo Fighters’ second album The Colour and the Shape. Dave Grohl wrote it during a period of personal upheaval. It shows the song carries a rawness and urgency that’s hard to fake. It became the band’s signature track and is widely regarded as one of the dominant alternative rock songs ever recorded. The music video, directed by Michel Gondry.

Reaction The Middle by Jimmy Eat World

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Why I Reacted To This Song

Jimmy Eat World is one of those bands that has been with me for a long time. “The Middle” is one of those songs that hits you at the right moment in life and just sticks. It’s a song about not giving up on yourself and that message never gets old.

Original by Artist

About This Song

“The Middle” was released in 2001 on Jimmy Eat World’s breakout album Bleed American. Frontman Jim Adkins wrote it as an encouragement to younger fans who were struggling to fit in. A reminder that the awkwardness and self-doubt of adolescence is temporary. The song reached the top five on the Billboard Hot 100 and became one of the defining alternative rock tracks of the early 2000s. It still resonates just as strongly today.