Customer Reviews

We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank [Vinyl]

5 star:		(85)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I have to say that while I found the band's last album, "Good News.." to be a slight disappointment, I didn't think it sounded like a sellout at all. It was much more quirky than the typical records out there, and even some of the more trendy music out at the time. And while the band's most accessible album to date, "Ship" is 100% a Modest Mouse record. Even with former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr now in the fold, even when Shin James Mercer does background vocals. And while it's also clean produced like the last one, that doesn't mean it's over-polished at all.

Of course, there's people who will try and insult people who like this new stuff, and there'll be a few mainstream sheep who decide it's good because the masses told them. But let's get realistic: Modest Mouse have been on a major label since 2000's "The Moon & Antarctica." (The album that introduced me to the band.) Them taking steps to commercial steps was inevitable from there. I have no problem with them becoming big. If you like them to stick with the Sonic Youth-type of seven-minute jam-out songs, just stick with "Long Drive" and "The Lonesome Crowded West." This, the new record, does actually have an epic track in it, "Spitting Venom," which starts out raw and acoustic in its first minute and a half but soon builds up from that. It's kind of interesting, as is the rest of the album.

Besides, I can't remember the pump organ and accordion being used so often in pop music as it is on here. There's no real Isaac Brock freak-outs here, but he still is full of personality on here. Also, where the interludes seemed a bit annoying and unnecessary last time, the newly used instruments are now utilized into actual songs! It's a more mature Modest Mouse album, and while consistent, it's never boring. You get the more easily digestible stuff like the acoustic-based "Little Motel" and the ultra-catchy "Steaming Engenius" (next single perhaps?). They change the tempos and structures at times this time around, too, on the excellent "Parting of the Sensory." Really, none of the 14 songs are bad at all.

If you can respect and accept that your little band is now shooting for the stars, I think you'll find something to enjoy on the band's fifth LP. It is not perhaps the most startling of the band's albums, but they don't need to do that with us anymore. I couldn't have possibly asked for a better album from these guys.

Much like Lonesome Crowded West with Teeth Like God's Shoeshine blaring loud and strong at the start, March Into the Sea really kicks off the album, and is one of the best on the album. The rest of the album doesn't let up.

Frankly, I don't see where people get selling out. In my mind, they've simply been progressing forward. Each album explores a different sound, and in each album that sound gets exhausted. If they continued to use any one album's sound, we would all complain they have no innovation and all their songs sound the same. (look at Mechanical Birds and the end of Polar Opposites...a third and thats what we all would be thinking)

With that over, I've listened to this album a couple times, and with each listen get into it more. Modest Mouse is one of those bands you need to keep listening to, you can't expect to "get" them on the first listen. I only liked one or two songs on Lonesome... and now I love them all.

I do think this is more of a return to their older work, not simply a third chapter in what began at Moon & Antarctica and continued with Good News, but it does sound like them with an entirely new one.

Other highlights:
Florida
Missed the Boat
People as Places as People

Every album Modest Mouse puts out is a completely new endeavor and We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank is no exception. This album has a drifting, lightweight feel similar to that of This is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Talk About but with the core of it's imagery carrying a more nautical theme. Isaac Brock's lyrics aren't as heavy, epic, or clever as on previous albums, but there are still moments of brilliance such on tracks like "Parting of the Sensory" where Brock talks of our decomposed and re-consumed bodies after death as "carbon's anniversary" (a metaphor that would take a five-page essay to explain).

The music this time around is extremely accessible, even moreso than their previous album. All of the tracks are produced so immaculately you'd think that they were mixed with shoeshine. This could be a downer for some long-time Modest Mouse fans, as all the grit that defined earlier albums is now officially dead and gone. The up side is that Isaac Brock's vocal performance is the best it has ever been. Gone is the uncontrolled scream-singing of This is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Talk About, Isaac has full control now. This is especially evident on March into the Sea where the vocals range from soft and melodious to the growling laugh of a senile pirate. Original drummer Jeremiah Green is back at the helm, but his trademark wild off-kilter snare fills are hard to find. They could be there, but if they are then they are surely overwhelmed by the heavy snare/kick beats that dominate songs such as "Dashboard", "We've Got Everything", and "Education".
There's been a lot of buzz about Johnny Marr joining the group too; however, fans of The Smiths expecting to hear their beloved god of sound back in full form will be sorely disappointed. Marr's guitar work on We Were Dead is very subtle and complimentary to the pre-existing Modest Mouse sound. If anything, his most noticeable dent on the band is how much tighter they sound with such an experienced guitarist on the roster.

One last musical addition of note. The Shins' James Mercer performs backup vocals on three of the album's tracks. Although "backup" is an understatement. Mercer's voice is so soaring that at times you completely forget Isaac Brock is even there.

So are these pros or cons? I would have to say that they're all pros. This isn't a negative review. By all means this is a great album with some truly memorable tracks (the monster 3-song closing alone is enough to warrant buying it).

It's difficult to review an album from a band as unique as Modest Mouse without making comparisons to previous albums and noting the progression of the band as a whole. This album seems to convey a group more confident in their sound than ever before. It is also an impressively diverse album, with an assortment of songs that span the entire Mouse catalog stylistically. There are angry rants and furious death marches a la Lonesome Crowded West ("March into the Sea", "Fly Trapped in a Jar"), spacey brooding to the tune of Moon and Antarctica ("Parting of the Sensory"), and even lofty indie/pop songs which could just as easily be found on Good News for People Who Love Bad News ("We've Got Everything", "Missed the Boat"). Also, there is a pleasant assortment of songs completely unique to this album, "Spitting Venom", "Little Motel", and "Florida" come to mind ... which might just be some of the best tracks here.

That all being said, We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank is probably not the best Modest Mouse has ever put out, but it is without question a solid piece of work, filled with wonderful songs to take with you on your next sailing trip. Four stars.

Good album that borders on great. I'd say it's a bump up from 'Good News'; just as 'Dashboard' is not nearly as powerful a pop-ballad as the sickeningly popular 'Float On' became to me, 'We Were Dead', as an album in its entirety, regresses from the pop-laden mentality of its older brother, instead pulling out cues from the bands earlier work; i.e. creative, unpredictable, discordant song structure, etc. To be fair, the album is not a work of unparalleled complexity, but it IS complex -- I've never understood the argument that 'Good News'' foray into a more pop-filled musical universe discounted the actual stuff being written (the best pop's as good as anything, in my mind), and I don't understand it because it doesn't make sense -- 'Good News', like this album, still possessed so many of the engrossing musical/personality traits of the entity known as Modest Mouse. Who in the world thinks 'The Moon and Antarctica' was devoid of pop anyway?; need I point you to the first tracks on that album? Right. Oh, and for those who want to try and tell me that Modest Mouse's output pre-Moon was their peak, I say this -- you're wrong; if you want to tell me establishing some sort of lyricism via music and melody over time is a negative, and that retaining a peculiarly "raw" sound that refuses to enter territories known to us already is the only way to go about things...; I say look at how delicately Brock and co., over the years, managed to become more and more evocative; 'The Moon and Antarctica', in its heavier time/spaces, is one of the most poignant, reflective, intimate albums I've heard. And these guys, as far as I know, are a bunch of stoners (gasp!).

Sorry to get off track. I've liked every Modest Mouse album I've ever heard -- to varying degrees -- and this is no different; soundscapes breath a familiar air, yet still manage to impress with their fresh imprinting of that already-unique Modest Mouse musical palette. Where the album doesn't work as well as its prior, to me, is in its synthesis as a whole; all of MM's previous works have, in the end, felt complete; 'We Were Dead', despite maintaining some consistently awesome material after its mid-way point, seems to lose direction, or at least stability, and goes off tempo, with song structures not transitioning correctly into one or another, and other such matters... Too eclectic, even for Brock; there needs to be order. Nonetheless, that's the biggest flaw of the album, I think, and I speak of such in regards to only the music, too; when it seems like its psychotically running for the cliff, seeming never to return, Brock still provides SOME base with the ideas and themes he established earlier in the album... and thus, at that particular level, there is a start and finish to the whole thing -- even if the band's music doesn't display it the whole time, Brock's mind is in a state of congruency, and it saves the day.

OK last interjection -- though I really do love much of 'We Were Dead' musically, it really is one of those rare cases (for me, at least), where the lyrics actually rise above the music; again, to reinstate, this ---IS--- good, often stellar music, and yet Brock's poignant expressions still rise above that.... Brock has always been one of my favorite lyricists, probably because he seems to share some similar personality to my own; at once a goofball able to throw words together not before thought sane -- a musical comedian, to a degree -- but also able to convey his separate selves with such resonance, from anger, sadness, to fear, and all the while doing it wish a piercing imagination and execution..... Again, it's his worldview that I find so enrapturing, because he thinks for himself, distinctly from so many others, but all-the-while he is musing on things that I, and probably you, have too; when I listen to this album, I get relief in that I can relate to a madman like Brock (I'm not alone), and what appears new to me is not really new; I'm just accessing that little Issac Brock within the barrels of my unconscoius... and he's smiling. Wait, nevermind......

.........he's not smiling. He's neurotic as sin. The lyrics on 'We Were Dead', despite the music nearly always being up-tempo and of a pretty benign tone, are desperate, tragic, ugly. I'm not sure I've ever heard one album filled to the brim with personal anxieties, but again, it seems as if Brock is both opening up himself but also the universality of these particular emotional states we all are facing at this point in time and culture. It's a mini-novel, if you want to call it that; the metaphor of the ship -- ourselves -- finally sinking with nobody onboard.. Sure, the idea of spiritual death is nothing new, but the way Brock comments on the particular subject and its prevalence in both his existence and our own is intelligent and, like Brock has demonstrated before, reflective and sincere.

So overall, just get the stupid album.

Wow. I was very happy to purchase this cd. To all of the people out there who do not have anything better to do then write horrible reviews about this cd, you do not have any idea what you're talking about. It is not supposed to sound like "Good News". If you have been a MM fan before "Good News" then you know what I am talking about. MM is so much more then what people assume them to. If you "actually" listen to the cd more than once you will understand more about the music. And see I said actually because half of the people that write reviews listen to it once and then write their reviews.

See what I just wrote was not a review. It is just me complaining.

So everyone if you have enjoyed their music in the past then you will enjoy this alot. Just give it a listen and see what you think.

We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank is MM at their finest. It shows how the have became so much more talented they have become in their career.

We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank is proof that bands can become commercially successful and still maintain their artistic freedom and creative integrity.

The album, like most Modest Mouse albums, requires a couple of listens to really appreciate, but definitely pays off. With each listen, the listener is rewarded by hearing more and more of the subtle intricacies that make Modest Mouse who they are.

All the pieces of a great Modest Mouse record are in play here. The sometimes brash, wild and desperate, sometimes quiet and tender vocals of Brock; sprinklings of hot, vaudeville-esque trashy horns and accordian; complex, building and driving guitar rhythms; bizarre, dark and cryptic lyrics and vintage disco-ish percussion.

It's a combination best of everything they've done, with some new added features. One noteable difference is the addition of Smiths' founder Johnny Marr, who's guitar and backing vocals provide a welcome added depth. Shins' frontman James Mercer also makes several guest vocal and acoustic guitar appearances. Brock continues to develop as a multi-faceted frontman, and the band develops with him.

It may not be the same as hearing "The Lonesome Crowded West" for the first time, but "We were dead before the ship even sank" is a winner, another great achievement by an already great band.

First off, let me just say that I didn't absolutely hate "Good News" the way alot of people did, but I definitely thought it was a dissapointment in comparison to the rest of their work. I knew that they had it in them to come back with another great album despite the setback, but I didn't think it was a given. I had my worries.

We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank puts all those worries to rest. This is the Modest Mouse we remember, with all the clever hooks, growling prose, and pressure-cooked indie-punk-quirk-rock we crave. Yes, it is poppy in parts, and its still clear that they are on a major label. But they regain alot of the grit that was missing from "Good News", and the addition of Johnny Marr's soaring guitar work adds a new and exciting layer to the band.

I doubt anyone will rush to call this the band's best work, but it is a return to form that will go down as another solid chapter in an impressive collection of work such as tM&A, LCW, and This is a Long Drive. "Spitting Venom" is certainly one of the band's best songs.

Its getting 5 stars from me not because it is a perfect album, but because it is an extremely solid offering from one of the best bands of our time. It may not be the best place for a Modest Mouse newbie to start (The Moon and Antarctica is probably the most welcoming) but it will be one that true fans ought to really appreciate.

I have been following this band for a while and I have never been let down. They're not for everyone. This new album is s detour from what they have done before, but it works. Lyrically they have hit the high road. What I love the most is that you have to be smart to under stand the references and language. They don't dumb down the music, but they don't take it so seriously that they come off as being Pretentious. Buy it. You'll LOVE it

Looking for something new, and at the prompting of my brother who is a big fan, I got "We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank", Modest Mouse's fifth studio CD. The sound ranges from dancey rock to reflective epics.

I like it, especially the more uptempo numbers like the dance/rock of "Dashboard" (hello Franz Ferdinand!!), the racuous sing-along "Florida" (with what can best be described as barking/yelping vocals), "Education" (nice disco-like bassline), and my favourite, the incredibly catchy "We've got everything" (similar to "Dashboard").

On the more downtempo end of things are the country tinged "Missed the boat",the even more country-ish "Spitting venom" (which takes a rockier turn about midway through), the drawn out. atmospheric "Parting of the sensory", "Fly trapped in a jar" (the horn intro sounds like a buzzing fly, nice tempo shift midway), the gentle "Little motel" (which builds up in intensity towards the end), and the lovely "People as places as people".

Closing the disc is the upbeat rocker "Invisible" with snarling/howling vocals, rolling drums, and cutting guitars.

Like the song says, "Fire it up"!!!

"Bark at the neighbors, and then bark at the dog, HA
Sniffing the wind, whimpering for someone to know..."

As usual, I get hooked on lyrics and fall for the music. And I can't believe I am so hooked. Love, love, love it. If someone had told me ten years ago, that MM would appeal to me, I would have said never.

They are one of my favorites and I will not deny that they are. Creativity at it's finest.