We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank
Modest Mouse
Score:80
Reviewer: Tom Bradbury
Label: Epic (USA), Sony (Australia)
Reviewed: Mar 26th '07, Released:2007
When I saw Modest Mouse in December, there was a heckler up the front who yelled out: “Why don’t you play something from before 2001” (to which I immediately thought: “Why don’t you fuck off?”). Brock responded: “I’m just doing my job, man”.
First of all, people who say that sort of thing really piss me off, why go to a concert and complain – did he really think they weren’t going to focus on their latest albums? This is a guy who obviously thinks that anybody who gets a crossover hit is a sell out, so somebody should tell him – Modest Mouse are a pop band. Yes, they're are edgy, but they are still pop and there is nothing wrong with that. We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank sees Modest Mouse exploring similar music and lyrical terrain to what they did on Good News For People Who Love Bad News, and their pop bent is even more pronounced. This is a catchy album, but that does not mean it should be mistaken for lightweight.
One of the strengths and weaknesses of We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank is that when listening to it you can often think of counterpart songs on Good News For People Who Love Bad News. It’s a strength because that was a great album, and it demonstrates that Modest Mouse are still in a songwriting purple patch. Yet it also means that Brock could be viewed as treading water slightly. Despite some career-matching standout tracks, including raucous first single ‘Dashboard’, the James Mercer paired ‘Missed the Boat’ and the moving ‘Little Motel’, this album has its share of anonymous moments, merely replicating the now standard Modest Mouse dance/freak out dynamic.
We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank sees Isaac Brock further extending the pop sounds heard on Good News For People Who Love Bad News, proving that Modest Mouse are still one of the premier voices in this scene. Coupling abrasiveness with gentleness they have forged a sound that is entirely their own. Now it only remains to be seen how far they can take this sound.
