We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank remains Modest Mouse’s best post-“Float On” album
With the help of The Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, Modest Mouse made one of its strongest records
Music Features Modest Mouse
For years, Pacific northwest indie band Modest Mouse thrived off making intricate, oddball rock. Few, including the band itself, likely imagined that the same group who made 1997’s quirky The Lonesome Crowded West would end up becoming a Grammy-nominated, stadium-playing act. So when Modest Mouse landed a massive mainstream hit with “Float On”—and went on to do just that—it was a surprising outcome.
Good News For People Who Love Bad News marked the beginning of Modest Mouse’s divisive turn from experimental mid-tier indie band to becoming a globally known name. With that surging popularity, there was bigger pressure to create a follow-up that would match the success of Good News and appeal to new fans, while still not alienating those who’d been following the band—and its formerly lo-fi, rough-around-the-edges sound—since the beginning.
With We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank, Modest Mouse fulfilled those expectations. Frontman Isaac Brock didn’t try to write the next “Float On,” instead continuing to approach his songwriting from the same complicated mentality as before. And while the album is as polished as Good News, it still carries plenty of experimentation throughout. Ship became the album to prove that, although Modest Mouse’s fanbase and sound changed, it didn’t have to compromise the innate oddness that made it such an exciting act in the first place—and it remains the band’s best post-“Float On” release.
The process of working on this album wasn’t smooth sailing at first, though. Guitarist Dann Gallucci quit in the middle of touring for the previous record. But frontman Isaac Brock decided to shoot for the stars—and invited former The Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr to co-write and play guitar on Ship. Marr accepted, and that unexpected combination proved brilliant, sparking a creative breakthrough for both camps, with Modest Mouse and the famed guitarist creating music that felt unlike anything either had worked on before. (Marr was only supposed to record with Modest Mouse for ten days, but the chemistry with the band was so intense that the guitarist canceled his flight back to England to stay in Portland and, later, touring as the band’s guitarist.)
What makes Ship stand out, besides the inclusion of Marr, is the group’s commitment to the record’s theme. The LP, once referred to by Brock as a “nautical balalaika carnival romp,” was reportedly initially envisioned as a concept album about a boat crew that dies in every song. The concept didn’t fully pan out, but the theme allowed for the band to incorporate a wider arrangement of instruments that create the feel of a life at sea, including the accordion, banjo, and horns.
Ship opens with “March Into The Sea,” a track that adopts a sea shanty-inspired style. The first instrument heard is the accordion, evoking the imagery of being aboard a pirate ship. Brock takes it further by singing in the punctuated manner of shanties, but instead of making the intonation melodic, he alternates between singing serenely and giving the song a grungier growl.
After “March” introduces the album’s concept in a very direct way, it’s the next song, “Dashboard,” that really serves as the route into the record. Chosen as the first single, it’s an effervescent song that has far more to offer than simply “’Float On’ but with horns.”
At first listen, it doesn’t particularly sound like something you’d expect from Modest Mouse. But before long, Brock’s distinctive vocals and signature sense of humor shine through. Brock references Planes, Trains, And Automobiles—ironically, the movie about nearly every mode of transportation that isn’t a ship—throughout the song: “The dashboard melted but we still have the radio,” “Well, the windshield was broken but I love the fresh air you know.” Musically, it’s quite different, but thematically, it does feel like a companion song to “Float On”: Even when things go to shit, you must keep going.
The band balances its moments of experimentation with a still-newfound poppier approach to songs, making the switch between styles every couple of tracks or so. “Dashboard” is followed by “Fire It Up,” the closest thing sonically to “Float On,” but without the infectious hook that made for such a big hit. The focus is on Brock’s vocals instead of the instruments, and showcases the frontman’s range as he shifts from a snarl to coos.
Then there’s “Florida,” the middle ground between typical Modest Mouse and the band’s new, more accessible sound. Brock’s vocals are jumpy, with a busy sing-talk approach. But that’s cleverly contrasted by having The Shins frontman James Mercer on backing vocals, bringing a gentle, warm touch to the song. (His vocals also appear in “We’ve Got Everything” and “Missed The Boat.”) It’s one of the band’s most complex tracks, going back and forth from poppy to gritty. That complexity is also present in its lyrics, spit out rapid-fire by Brock (“Although we often wondered / It was no thing of wonder, the shit that flew from our minds”).
But the dark horse on the album is “Parting Of The Sensory.” It’s not the most popular track off of Ship, but it’s maybe the most impressive. “Parting Of The Sensory” is one of Modest Mouse’s most experimental works, with a combination of traditional instrumentation—fiddle, banjo, balalaika, and Marr on guitar—and otherworldly synth effects, to produce a stunning result (with album producer Dennis Herring and musician Naheed Simjee doing the claps and stomps). The words are nihilistic: “Someday you will die somehow and something’s gonna steal your carbon.” But the lyrical darkness is almost disguised with such a catchy chorus.
It’s a tough song to top, but Modest Mouse follows it up with another that’s one of the best in the band’s career: “Missed The Boat.” It features some of Brock’s strongest songwriting, with clever, attention-grabbing lyrics (“While we’re on the subject / Could we change the subject now? / I was knocking on your ear’s door / But you were always out.”)
It’s open to interpretation. It works as a breakup song, about pretending everything is fine while still dealing with the pain of its dissolution (“Was it ever worth it? / Was there all that much to gain? / Well, we knew we’d missed the boat / And we’d already missed the plane”). Yet it also fits as auto-critique, with Brock seemingly acknowledging that while the band’s success looks great from the outside, “leveling up” isn’t all it’s cracked up to be (“Oh, and we carried it all so well / As if we got a new position / Oh, and I laugh all the way to hell / Saying, ‘Yes this is a fine promotion’”). It’s one of the most pared-down songs on the record, and that’s perhaps what works best about it.
The same goes for “Little Motel,” another number that allows Brock’s voice and words to shine without relying on the bells and whistles (in this case, literally) of the instrumentation. It’s a song that doesn’t entirely fit within the rest of the album—it’s too soft compared to everything around it—but it’s so gorgeous that it’d be hard to imagine Ship without it.
The song, written by Brock after a fight with his partner, is one of the most compelling in the band’s entire body of work. That’s in part thanks to Marr, whom Brock credited for “saving” the song with the “twinkly, single-string stuff.” And by getting personal in a manner uncommon for him, Brock’s lyrical vulnerability gives the song wonderful depth: “We treat mishaps like sinking ships and / I know that I don’t want to be out to drift / Well, I can see it in your eyes like I taste your lips and / They both tell me that we’re better than this.”
Brock doesn’t seem comfortable staying in those quieter moments, though. “Little Motel” is immediately followed by some of the most guitar-heavy songs on the record: “Stream Engenius” and “Spitting Venom.” The latter in particular succeeds; what begins as a simple acoustic track steadily transforms into an electric guitar-focused, angsty number, bursting with aggression. While his lyrics often veer on the vague side, “Spitting Venom” has heartbreakingly literal details: “Well, we went downtown and we sat in the rain / Well, looking all direction and waiting for a train / Thought over / It’s all over.” It’s yet more proof that some of Ship’s best standouts are those emotionally charged songs where Brock lets it all out.
Modest Mouse ends the record with two of its poppiest tracks: “People As Places As People” and “Invisible.” But even those lighter moments never are devoid of Modest Mouse’s grittiness; Brock frequently pairs the brightest riffs with his most aggressive vocals.
We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank may not have been readily received by many longstanding fans upon its 2007 release; even The A.V. Club’s former staffer Katie Rife once wrote it was the album that made her stop listening to Modest Mouse altogether. But with a major label like Epic behind it, there was no way the band could return to its DIY approach; instead, Ship allowed the band to test the limits of its oddities while still making accessible music. Looking back nearly two decades later, Ship comes across like Modest Mouse has something to prove—showing the breadth of its talents and refusing to let “Float On” define its career.
31 Comments
Well, yeah. This is the correct but easy take. I loved these dudes but I haven’t been feeling their post-We Were Dead work at all, really. But I think We Were Dead is actually a better overall album than Good News for People Who Love Bad News (the latter does have some higher “highs”, though). To be fair, I still need to give The Golden Casket a proper listen though, haven’t spent much time with that album. I have no idea how that album was received, didn’t hear much about it.
Golden Casket is a fun listen, but so far off from MM’s heydays. Definitely worth checking out, though. It’s like “what if Modest Mouse made a Coachella-core album.”
“Coachella-core”…hmm. In spite of not liking the sound of that, I will give the album a few more spins, heh. I think I only listened through it once when it came out while doing household chores or something.
The quality of Modest Mouse’s music is a direct negative correlation to the number of members in the band. The last time I saw Modest Mouse live, there were like 12 people on stage.
(The exact opposite is true for their fellow 90s, Northwestern colleagues, Built to Spill, who are now a three-piece and the sound really suffers for it.)That said, “Dashboard” can stand up to the best MM songs, and I think you’re correct that this record is, overall, better than Good news…
It’s kinda like how I feel about Green Day. They sound great live, but that’s accomplished by having like 4 or 5 touring musicians with them, making them essentially an 8 piece band when they play live, which does not feel right for a 3 piece (briefly 4 piece) supposedly punk band. I’d argue that I’d rather see them sound much rawer, trying to accomplish their songs with just the 3 of them. I’m sure it wouldn’t sound nearly as polished, but at least it would feel genuine to who they really are, or at least who they’re supposed to be. It’s part of why I respect their rivals blink-182 more, they play live, just the 3 of them, it doesn’t always sound great, especially when Tom was there singing his songs, but at least they’re presenting themselves for exactly who they are. I respect that.
I haven’t seen Green Day in years, but the last few times I saw them, they were a 4-piece, and that seemed like the perfect size lineup. Just having one other guitarist to add some fills/licks while Billie Joe hammers away seemed like a good setup.
Well I’ve seen them twice, way back in 2005, and just last year in September, and both times the scenario was the same. They legit sound just like the album when they play, truly that’s an amazing job. But it has been accomplished both time by making the band over double the size that they are on the albums. And that’s hard for me to be super excited for in regards to a supposed punk band. I love the end result, I do, and I don’t blame them for going the route they do with all the touring musicians, but it’s hard to feel like I’m genuinely watching Green Day in its purest form, and not Green Day featuring a whole ‘nother band’s worth of members.
As a whole I still don’t care much for golden casket, but a few songs off it have really grown on me.
Yeah, this isn’t really a question up for debate. I’m sure there are a few dissenters from said opinion, but it’s really not much of a contest, if you were a fan of Float On, then chances are the album of theirs you’d like next most would have to be We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank. My favorite song of theirs is even on the album, Missed the Boat.
I love LOVE We Were Dead and Good News. Strangers is a little rougher but has some great stuff. I’ve tried a few times but I cannot get into Casket. I’m going to keep trying bc I love MM, but it’s just so different and at first listen it sounds, I don’t know… beneath them?
We Were Dead is my second favorite MM album, next to The Moon & Antarctica. It’s so dynamic in its sound, with tons of memorable and high-energy melodies coupled with some of the band’s strongest lyrics. We’ve Got Everything, People as Places as People, and Steam Engenius in particular are absolute fire, but there’s not a single track I don’t love.That being said, there’s not a single Modest Mouse album I don’t love. Strangers to Ourselves was a little overlong and inconsistent, but has some of the best MM songs period – The Ground Walks with Time in a Box, and The Best Room in particular for me. Golden Casket is probably their weakest imo but I still love it, and some of its songs sound fantastic in a live setting
Extreme, every-point same from me.
I totally agree. I find it funny when people say they don’t like their new stuff at some point they usually tend to add they haven’t actually listened to it or if they have they’ve only listened to it once.
There’s some really good stuff on Strangers. I think my fave is Lampshades bc it sounds like The Muppets are doing the background vocals.
Meh. I don’t know. It strikes me that Modest Mouse is one of my oldest and consistently played bands, and probably like many people ‘round here, that enjoyment is going on over two decades. But I’ve been content as a bunny living with everything from Interstate 8 to Good News and just ignoring the rest.Though I realize how screwed up I am because I was going to say something snarky about “Float On” and I think I’ve skipped that song so many times I did not realize it was on Good News. Life is exhausting.
I’d suggest you try out No One’s First (And You’re Next), a collection of songs that I believe were all tracks fully produced but eventually cut from Ship. Some real winners there, with Satellite Skin probably my favorite Modest Mouse pop song.
Thanks. I think I’ll check it out.
Great call, it’s an EP worth of good stuff, even if they are “culls”. Satellite Skin is killer.
The new album starts off fairly strong. “Fuck Your Acid Trip” is a really fun song, though it would’ve been better if they dropped the chorus.
WELL
“Fire It Up” is one of those songs that I hate so much that it makes me not want to listen to the album as a whole. It’s MM embracing their inner frat boy.
I fucking love this album. I really really like Golden Casket, but it’s not as good as this one.
I only know the singles – not the albums – but I’ll take The Ground Walks… MM over Float On MM any day.
Music is subjective, blah blah blah.I love their early work (Building Nothing Out of Something is an absolute perfect album), but i’ll be damned if Spitting Venom isn’t high in the running for my most favorite song in their catalogue.
I feel like you missed the main theme of this album, which was seething anger at George Bush. (Take this lyric from Parting of the Sensory: “Who the hell made you the boss? We placed our chips in all the right spots, But still lost. Any shithead who had ever walked could take the ship and do a much finer job”.) At the time I felt like it was a bit an overreaction (I thought Bush was a bad President, not a malicious one). But I rediscovered it during Trump and it fits him perfectly, especially the track Spitting Venom.
“Quirky” is what we’re going with to characterize TLCW? M’kay.
My favorite of theirs is the b-sides/EP or whatever No One’s First and You’re Next from 2009. Just great stuff.
I’m with Rife on this one. I enjoy Venom, Sensory, and Florida, but the rest? Oof. Good News was a step down from their earlier works, but We Were Dead was a nosedive for me. I guess I should give their more recent work another shot, but I kinda just stopped caring after this album. Thankfully, their earlier stuff still holds up.
Nobody is denying this is Modest Mouse’s last good album after they became commercially successful. But by no means does it compare to any of their work from 95-04.
Many thanks for this great article. I am a big fan of the early stuff (Teeth like God’s shoeshine, Cowboy Dan… So many amazing songs). I always loved Ship. It takes some getting used to, it has a load of tracks I skipped at first play through, after hearing the first bar. But the songs often go in strange and gloriously unexpected places, and really pay off. Spitting Venon and little motel are a triumph. I have just popped it on now 🙂
I’m going to be the Gen-Xer chiming in with I am currently listening to This is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About and sad about anything after Good News. So predictable, I know. It’s just a different band now and I couldn’t evolve.