We Still Have the Radio

Modest Mouse and We Were Dead Before the Ship Even

Overall score:

Modest Mouse has a long history in the American independent music scene. The band has paved its way into the history books of independent artists as one of the most accomplished independent bands and one of the primary forerunners of independent music. Many passive listeners aren't aware of Modest Mouse's age—their first EP was actually released in 1994, and the roots of the band go back even further.

In 2004, Modest Mouse released their second album, Good News For People Who Love Bad News, under a major record label, Epic Records (Bad Religion, Micheal Jackson, Rage Against the Machine, AC/DC, Pearl Jam, and others), and received a widespread growth of mainstream interest. Several songs from the album had coast-to-coast radio attention, and their music video for Float On, the most popular single from the album, even got airtime on MTV.

The hardcore fans, however, of the original feel Modest Mouse had provided through the nineties were largely disappointed by the band's turn to the mainstream. Many claimed that Good News for People Who Love Bad News sounded nothing like the Modest Mouse they had grown to love, and they weren't wrong. The overall feel of the music had turned from a chaotic alternative to very smooth, and Brock's voice didn't have the natural ferocity it had had in previous releases: it sounded very different. But despite the criticism from many old fans crying out that Modest Mouse had "sold out," Good News for People Who Love Bad News is an all around balanced album, and received the nomination for Best Alternative Album at the Grammys.

This brings Modest Mouse to their new release,We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank. This album, which was released in stores Tuesday, March twenty-fifth, includes Johnny Mar, a new guitarist to the band of The Smiths and The Healers. Mar not only plays guitar on the album and will tour with Modest Mouse, but also wrote some of the songs and helped to write the album as a whole at request of Isaac Brock, Modest Mouse's singer. At this junction in time, Mar has been granted official member status in the band, which now sports six members.

But the important question is, "How good is this album, and who will like it?" Reviews are extremely mixed. Some give the album very high score—some claim We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank to be Modest Mouse's weakest release to date. It's true, the album won't be claimed as Modest Mouse's best by either the new, mainstream fans ,or the aged, indie fans—but on the same note, neither should they be disappointed. Despite the heavy studio feel in many tracks, which hadn't been a part of Modest Mouse's indie sound, and which was one of the major changes in the feel of Good News for People Who Love Bad News, this album takes several steps back in the direction of Modest Mouse's signature sound on several tracks. None of the tracks sound entirely like the original Modest Mouse feel, but none sound as studio pressed or mainstream as the new feel, either.

In summary, all Modest Mouse fans should enjoy this album; and although Modest Mouse is for many people an aquired taste, those who are unfamiliar with the band should still find themselves singing along to Dashboard, the album's single, and several other songs. If you are unsure whether or not this album would be for you, check out their myspace at www.myspace.com/modestmouse or their website at www.modestmouse.com. If you are looking to buy the album, the least expensive location would be Target.

Quick Reference

Modest Mouse has released five albums: This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About (1996), The Lonesome Crowded West (1997), The Mood and Antarctica (2000 and re-release in 2004), Good News for People Who Love Bad News (2004), We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank (2007)

Notable EPs: Blue Cadet-3, Do You Connect? (1994)The Fruit That Ate Itself (1997), Building Nothing Out of Something (2000), Everywhere and His Nasty Parlour Tricks (2001)

Modest Mouse consists of Isaac Brock, Eric Judy, Jeremiah Green, Johnny Mar, Tom Peloso, Joe Plummer

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Written by GorgontheWonderCow on March 22nd, 2007