Monday, December 31, 2007
#15 Marr-dest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
Modest Mouse added guitarist Johnny Marr from the Smiths into the mix for this album. I was a little worried about it since I'm not a big Smiths fan. The finished product is another solid release by modest mouse that gets better with every listen. I hear a little bit of a funk influence on top of the countless influences they have already showcased on previous releases. The old modest mouse is in there; the sound has just been polished and may be a little harder to pick out. The addition of James Mercer of the Shins on backing vocals on multiple songs was also a great idea. I love his voice and it really fits in well with the music. One of the best shows I saw this year was Modest Mouse at the Virgin Music Festival in Baltimore. The fact that I saw them instead of watching the second half of the Police set should tell you how good they were.
Highlights:
Dashboard
Florida
We've Got Everything
Favorite Lyrics:
“I'll be beating my heart's record for speeding
I'll be beating the record for hearts skipping in the dark
Our tails wagged and then fell off
But we just turned back, marched into the sea”
“While we're on the subject
Could we change the subject now?
I was knocking on your ears
Don't worry, you were always out
Looking towards the future
We were begging for the past
Well, we know we had the good things
But those never seemed to last
Oh, please just last”
