Modest Mouse Entertainment Art “We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank” (Epic) Released March 20, 2007

On the one hand, Modest Mouse has produced two of the catchiest singles in a long time, “Float On” and “Dashboard” off the bands most recent release We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank. The songs are fast and have an excellent beat so they are sure to become pop favorites. Yet when you look at the rest of the songs on their albums, other then the one song that the radio stations play constantly, the bulk of their music is rather depressing.

For instance, on track one off their new album, “March Into The Sea”, the lead singer can actually be heard nearly crying. The track itself is really well done and has sort of a French accordion in the background which gives the song a sense of sophistication. Putting a song like that on track one is almost dangerous for the band as it seems that the goal of the song is to put the listener into a highly depressive state.

Thankfully the band makes an effort to balance it out with their single “Dashboard” on track two. “Dashboard” is one of those perfect songs that comes out of mainstream music every so often. The fast guitars and existential lyrics pull the listener in and keeps them glued to the rest of the album. The lyrics in the song are extremely well crafted - “You talk about nowhere/ Well it sounds like a place I’d like to go” and blend beautifully within the horns and guitars of the song.

Taken just for its instrumentation the album is really an almost relaxing experience. Track six’s “Missed the Boat” seems to be going for a country like mood with its slow strumming guitar. The mood all changes though by track 12 with “Spitting Venom”, a song that strikes me as genuinely spiteful. The band seems to almost want to trick the listner by playing the song happy even though at it's lyrical core it is mean hearted and depressing.

Before the Ship Even Sank is a far tighter album than their previous release, Good News for People Who Love Bad News. The band makes excellent use of all their instruments creating a sometimes chaotic and punk rock atmosphere. Though this is actually the bands 16th album I get the feeling that their newfound mainstream success is pushing the band to new areas. Rather than conform to the noise that I suspect their record company wants, Modest Mouse seems to be playing with some more experimental options and it is working in their favor.

Though it has become a pop favorite, I will admit that “Float On” made me a fan of Modest Mouse and I will continue to be one as long as they continue to produce quality albums such as this one. Keep them coming.

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