We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank

iTunes Review

We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank is a gripping and satisfying recording, with skittering tempos, jerky rhythms, and delightful surprises around every quirky corner. Lead singer, guitarist, and gifted songwriter Isaac Brock sounds positively manic on the clattering “March Into the Sea.” “Dashboard” and “Steam Engenius” are funky and undeniably catchy, “Little Motel” manages to be both tender and oddly off balance, and not many singers could make a line like “Someday you will die somehow and something’s gonna steal your carbon” work(from the standout “Parting of the Sensory”). A notable addition to the band on this recording is former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, whose chiming, lyrical style meshes beautifully with Brock’s jagged and idiosyncratic playing. Marr’s contributions help the band create a fuller sound without sacrificing any of the inherent strangeness that makes them so consistently inventive and fascinating. Modest Mouse manage to compromise nothing and still create compelling pop music even as their audience grows, and that’s a feat few contemporary bands can pull off.