Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank

There has been an awful lot of anticipation over Modest Mouse’s new CD “We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank.” The reason of course is that indie rock legend and former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr is now an official member of the band. When I first heard that, my feelings were mixed to say the least. The Smiths, of course, are one of my favourite bands of all time. Modest Mouse, on the other hand, I’ve never really understood. It’s not that I dislike them, it’s just that while many of my peers feel that they’re the saviors of indie rock, my feelings have always been more, well, modest. I do like a lot of their music, but they are flawed in many ways as far as I’m concerned. Still, I am mildly fond of the “The Moon And Antarctica”, and songs like “Space Travel Is Boring” are fantastic. But I never ever ever have to hear “Float On” again for as long as I live. So how do I feel about the new one?

It’s pretty good. The first song “March Into The Sea” is very energetic, and while Isaac Brock’s voice usually gives me a migraine, I actually found his maniacal cackle to be somewhat amusing on this one. Many people are referring to “Dashboard” as this album’s “Float On”, but I think “Dashboard” is a significantly stronger single. The tracks that appeal to me the most are “Spitting Venom” and “Parting Of The Sensory.” “Parting…” has James Mercer of The Shins lending his vocal talents, and “Spitting…” is classic epic MM, 8 minutes of fevered intensity. To be honest, I can’t say that I really hear Johnny Marr’s influence all that much on this album. In the past, I always thought that he had a very unique style to his playing, but this CD doesn’t sound all that different than MM’s past releases. I suppose it’s a little bit more upbeat than fans of the Mouse are accustomed to, and that may be a result of Marr’s influence. But overall, the things that I enjoy about MM are still there and the usual complaints are still there too. The CD’s way too long as usual and Brock’s voice does grate on me after awhile. However, the “it’s not you, it’s me” adage can certainly be applied to my relationship with this band. Regardless of my personal views, the talent they possess cannot be denied, and I think we’ll be seeing this album on many a “best of 2007” list come year-end.

Modest Mouse will be at the Hummingbird Centre on April 24^th.

Downloads:
March Into The Sea mp3
Dashboard mp3

Visit Modest Mouse on myspace.
Purchase “We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank” on Amazon.ca