Modest Mouse

We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank sounds exactly like every other Modest Mouse release. That’s the good news. Unfortunately, it’s also the bad news. Even with the addition of the Smiths’ Johnny Marr on guitar, Modest Mouse is still the Isaac Brock show. Which means WWDBTSES is indulgent, tuneful, strange, loud, catchy and expertly played and produced. But that’s it. For those listeners straining to hear a follow-up to “Float On,” the huge single from Good News For People Who Love Bad News, do yourself a favor and leave this one in the shrink wrap. In fact, all Modest Mouse fans should return this disc to the stores. Not because the melodies are boring or bad. They’re not. But it just adds up to a pile of “Sigh. This is it?” We’ve got to encourage Brock to do better.