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Other Topics => Entertainment => Topic started by: Mr_Vindictive on April 05, 2007, 07:24:19 PM



Title: Modest Mouse: We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank
Post by: Mr_Vindictive on April 05, 2007, 07:24:19 PM
(http://ak.buy.com/db_assets/large_images/073/204236073.jpg)

I'm posting this here as we have a few MM fans on the board.  I've been waiting for a new album from them with extreme anticipation for a while now, and We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank is finally out.

The album is MM's follow up to the hugely successful "Good News For People Who Love Bad News".  With that album, MM started to go a bit pop with some of their songs such like The View and Dancehall.  It was a big change from the confusing and dense lyrics of The Moon And Antarctica.

We Were Dead is sort of a mixture of Moon and Good News.  It holds some of the poppiness of the previous work with songs such as Dashboard and Fire It Up, yet the lyrics are as convoluted as anything on Moon.  The songs range from fast "radio-play" songs to the typical MM meandering, almost hypnotic melodies. 

What lacking is the anger that Isaac Brock brought to the various other albums that MM has done.  A hint of it is still there but much of it has disappeared.  The anger in Isaac's voice when speaking about death, God, and drugs was one of the most compelling things about their music.  It's a shame that MM lost that edge on this album.

A welcome addition this time around is Johnny Marr (The Smiths) who Brock brought on to help with the album.  His guitar work is excellent here, and really adds to the MM sound.  It's great the band is expanding like this, bringing in outside talent to keep the music fresh.  The album certainly gains from it.

Overall, it's not MM's best album.  Both Moon and Good News hold up perfectly on their own, but this newest album, being a mixture of the two, doesn't work as well.  It's still many times better than any other album I'm sure to hear this year, it's just that I went into this album with expectations peaked.  It's well worth buying if you're a fan of MM or not, just go into it with an open mind.  I'm finding that it's growing on me. 


Title: Re: Modest Mouse: We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank
Post by: Ed, Ego and Superego on April 13, 2007, 12:09:03 PM
You know, I have long been a fan, since the "Lonesome Crowdeed West" came out.  I saw them at Washington State's student untion with Pedro the Lion and about 40 other poeple once. But I gotta say, the more mature Modest Mouse, really fits the more mature me.   I so much enjoy this and Good News.  Its more poppy, but its also more musical and less distorted.   As I age, distortion really loses its enjoyability.
They were always good, but they are growing better.   Someone can now feel free to use the words "sell out"
Sadly older, but really like these albums.
-Ed


Title: Re: Modest Mouse: We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank
Post by: Yaddo 42 on April 13, 2007, 05:09:09 PM
Haven't gotten the new album, I have been listening to Everywhere and His Nasty Parlour Tricks a lot lately. I'm a johnny-come-lately to the band but I like them, and wish I had heard them earlier.

They're playing in Birmingham May 6th, I'm tempted to go see them. I haven't been to a concert in way too long, how are they live? I only ever saw live TV appearances when Good News... came out, hard to judge from stuff like that.


Title: Re: Modest Mouse: We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank
Post by: Yaddo 42 on April 27, 2007, 05:40:08 AM
Bought We Were Dead... the other day. As an album I like it better than Good News...., I have been listening to the whole thing for about four days now. That and a Harry Nilsson best of disc I bought.

Favorites are: "March Into the Sea", "Missed the Boat", "Education", "Steam Engenius", and I guess "Spitting Venom".

Tempted to get some more of the earlier albums, but I don't want to burn out on them. First modern group that I've liked so much of their stuff in quite a while. Maybe try Kings of Leon next.