Post-Peakdom Depression

Most artists have a well defined "peak" period in the public unconscious when discussing their work. This series will examine the work that comes after, and whether it deserves it's classification as a lesser work thrown in the "for the fans" pile, or whether it deserves some critical re-evaluation. With Modest Mouse releasing a new single this week, I figured it would be a good idea to begin this series with an album thrown in this nebulous post-peak period, We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank.

Modest Mouse's career is the ideal arc for this sort of series. Originating as indie darlings with their phenomenal works, This Is A Long Drive For Someone With Nothing To Think About, The Lonesome Crowded West, and The Moon and Antarctica, they hit a new commercial peak with their album Good News For People Who Love Bad News and the single, Float On. While many wannabe hipsters decry this as the point where they stopped experimenting and switched focus to hitmaking, I could not disagree more.

We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank opens with "March Into The Sea", a song that wavers between hardcore sea shanty and slow dance. The strings are all over this album, with "Parting of The Sensory" shifting from slow acoustic number to madcap mediations on the reality that "someday you will die and somehow something's gonna steal your carbon" as square dance fiddles screech. "Spitting Venom" ducks and weaves through folksy verse to an actual indie "drop", before ending with a marching tune filled with beautiful horns, building to a joyous crescendo. Not all experiments on this album pay off however, "Steam Engenius" or "Fly Trapped In A Jar" are at least interesting in their attempts at experimentation, with both providing strangely funky jams that at the very least, are unexpected from a band like Modest Mouse.

The more conventional fare on this album still generally hits more than it misses. Yes, "Fire It Up" does sound like it was built for a 2007-era car commercial, and yes, "We've Got Everything" does sound like "top 40" Modest Mouse by numbers. However, "Dashboard", the most successful single of the album, has a fantastic string section and propels with manic energy by Johnny Marr's awesome guitar riff. Yes, The Smiths Johnny Marr is also on this album, if my review thus far hasn't convinced you to give this album a listen, hopefully that does. “Florida” rips, with a lovely chorus featuring The Shins James Mercer. “Missed the Boat” continues this trend, with James Mercer once again featuring in a lovely chorus. This track provides some of Brock’s best lyricism on the album, with his ruminations on what one misses out on through living. "Little Motel" is just a fucking gorgeous song, and if nothing I've said thus far convinces you to give this album a listen as a whole, please just listen to this one song. Brock's vocals here are heart-wrenching, and the way it builds until it sounds like the guitars are crying is phenomenal.

It's an uneven piece of work, but I believe it hits more than it misses. Personally, I place We Were Dead as firmly belonging in the same category as their earlier work and not the makings of an indie darling chasing chart success, as it is often considered. Personally, I find it a stronger work than Good News, with Modest Mouse using their newfound budget to attempt some new sounds, carrying over their sprawling quiet-loud sound from the indie days and successfully integrating it with strings and Johnny Marr. It's a damn sight better than Strangers To Ourselves, at least.