Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank (Gatefold, 180 Gram) (2 LP)

Vinyl LP pressing of the 2007 album from the often amazing Modest Mouse. We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank is a new chapter in Modest Mouse's career with the new infusion of Johnny Marr and the extra percussion muscle brought by Plummer and Peloso. The new album features several songs that the band played live during their 2-week-long sold-out runs in LA and NY, including the instant radio hit 'Dashboard.'

Though the album title sounds like it was borrowed from the avant-weirdos Liars, WE WERE DEAD BEFORE THE SHIP EVEN SANK finds quintessential indie-rockers Modest Mouse charting a course down the stylistic middle. They retain enough of their trademark quirkiness to keep longtime fans from feeling alienated, but they simultaneously put popwise songcraft to the fore. The dance-rock of "Dashboard" sounds like it could be a Killers outtake, and several tracks find the band engaging in the kind of post-Pavement mid-fi style that first endeared them to the slacker masses.

Isaac Brock sounds properly unhinged on "Florida," "Invisible," and "Steam Engenius," as the band pushes into overdrive, but there's also a brace of low-key, acoustic-based tunes that provide a perfect contrast. The Mouse is bolstered by some high-powered guests as well: Smiths guitar legend Johnny Marr adds a bit of six-string support, and Shins singer James Mercer contributes some backing vocals. Nevertheless, the fraying-but-fierce group dynamic that's always been at the heart of the MM sound prevails throughout.

• Format: Vinyl
• Released: 3/20/2007
• Genre: Rock
• Gatefold Jacket
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Tracklist