“We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank” carries band’s paradoxical sound
Modest Mouse is back with the release of their fifth studio album, “We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank.” These loyal indie-artists-turned-reluctant-mainstream-superstars created an album with songs that fit together like pieces of a convoluted puzzle.
Led by frontman and self-proclaimed pessimist Isaac Brock, Modest Mouse recorded their best album to date in Oxford, Miss., at Sweet Tea Recording Studio.
The album has a different, yet eerily similar, sound with the addition of new member and former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr. His presence is felt in the abundance of riff-driven guitar solos on the CD itself.
At the end of 2006, Blender Magazine named the new album and Modest Mouse as the 25th reason to love 2007, and these Washington natives didn’t disappoint.
“We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank” is a glorified version of their previous albums and portrays the same hopeless, yet somehow optimistic lyrics Modest Mouse is best known for.
The 14-track masterpiece is full of anthems that are constructed through their repetition and distinct use of violins, horns and even Scottish bagpipes.
The hype surrounding the first single, “Dashboard,” was unavoidable, in light of the worldwide success of “Float On” from 2004’s “Good News For People Who Hate Bad News.” Although they have similarities, “Dashboard” is not “Float On,” and it’s not supposed to be.
“Dashboard’s” lyrics are desperate, and for most of the song, Brock chants, “Well, it could’ve been should’ve worse than you’d ever know.” Staying true to form, a subtle resolution is reached during the climax as he concludes with, “Well we scheme and we scheme but we always blow it . we’re yet to crash, but we still might as enjoy it.”
The song that will be chanted at concert halls across America is “Florida,” which contains masterful wordplay and draws influence from the distinct sounds of the Cure.
The next standout is the socially conscious “Parting of the Sensory,” in which Brock sings poetic lyrics that act as a metaphor for the current state of things. “Who the hell made you the boss? If you were a ship who would ever get on?”
Twelve songs into the album, the eight-minute masterpiece “Spitting Venom” had Brock doing his best Johnny Cash impression; the song begins as sort of a honky-tonk country tune and then somehow transforms itself into a radio hit.
When the songs are played sequentially, there’s little disparity between the end of one and the beginning of the next, making them more like chapters of a story than tracks on an album. Their ability to successfully make each song a prelude to the next, paired with Brock’s contrasting vocal tones, confirms Modest Mouse’s insane musical abilities.
“We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank” should finalize Modest Mouse’s evolution from indie sweethearts to epic rock stars. The group has an impressive ability to write beautiful pieces of music.
Contact Campus Press staff writer Quincy Moore at quincy.moore@thecampuspress.com.
