We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
Epic
With nearly every Modest Mouse album, frontman Isaac Brock has honed
in on a theme that he interweaves throughout. On We Were Dead Before the
Ship Even Sank, Brock is a manic captain charting what he calls “a nautical
balalaika carnival romp.” Brock’s direction of Modest Mouse has always
thrived on a delicately teetering balance of juxtapositions in mood, tempo
and structure. And with his latest, it’s reached a fever pitch with brutally quick
and often disjointed transitions in songs that shift gears before they even
establish themselves (“Florida”) while others like “Missed the Boat” (featuring
The Shins’ James Mercer) pass inconsequentially. Much has been made
of the addition of ex-Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr and while he clearly adds
some noticeable chops to the cacophony, he is not able to restore the
Mouse’s missing melody. Yet when it works, it’s a thing of beauty. “Steam
Engenius” is a funky strutter while “Parting of the Sensory” is a band blueprint.
Brock appears to be at a crossroads, trying to marry the pop brilliance
of his previous album with his exploratory indie rock instincts. What you get
is a Mouse in a maze of its own creation—it just remains to be seen in what
fashion it exits. Tyson Schuetze
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