We Were Lost Before We Even Left The House
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Modest Mouse is one of those bands that I don't like to play when I have friends around who aren't already familiar with them. You could say they're an aquired taste, but this is only true to some of the people some of the time, and not as a general rule. Still, I'm not blasting ??We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank?? for everyone I know because I'm fairly certain that Isaac Brock's voice will grate some nerves. It's as if he ran around the studio block 3 times before running back in to lay down the vocals on tracks such as "Fly Trapped in a Jar", "Education", and "Steam Engenius". Brock's voice works best on the opener "March Into The Sea" with it's satisfying "Ah-haha"'s in the chorus, then turns as drippy-sweet as the instumentation in the verses. The first single, "Dashboard", follows and it's radio-friendly vibe is obvious. It's super catchy and we get a taste of Johnny Marr's influence on the overall sound. Whether or not you want to chastize the band for pursuing mainstream accessibility, you can't deny they can write a pretty fantastic hook. The next track worth noting is "Parting of the Sensory", the centerpiece of the record and by far the most emotionally engaging. The track moves at a slow but intense pace before bursting at the seams with Brock spouting lyrics about the meaninglessness of it all in only the way he can ("someday you will die somehow and someone's gonna steal your carbon"). Genius. Speaking of the meaninglessness of it all, you'll find this is the central theme of the record (big shock, I know). It might has well have been titled ??We Were Lost Before We Even Left the House?? or ??We Were Sick Before We Even Got A Cold??. Which brings us to the heart of the record, "Missed the Boat". The instrumentation is deceptively positive, the chorus is probably the most memorable, and the lyrics are the most dreary (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). Only Brock could refer to hell as a fine promotion from life. The records sags a bit through the middle section, but ends in a 3 song powerhouse with "Spitting Venom", a three piece suite in the vein of "Paranoid Android", "People As Places", and the most rocking track on the record, "Invisible", with an opening riff that will rip through your stereo speakers. It could very likely end up being the next single. *My final word:* I believe this to be one of the finest records of 2007. *4 out of 5 stars*.
BTW, today is my 6 month MOGiversarry!
BTW, today is my 6 month MOGiversarry!
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