We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank

Last updated
We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
Modest mouse 2007 album.jpg
Studio album by
Modest Mouse
ReleasedMarch 20, 2007 (2007-03-20)
Recorded2005–2006
Studio
Genre Indie rock, post-punk revival [1] [2]
Length62:28
Label Epic
Producer Dennis Herring
Modest Mouse chronology
Baron von Bullshit Rides Again
(2004)		We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
(2007)		 No One's First and You're Next
(2009)
Singles from We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
  1. "Dashboard"
    Released: January 16, 2007
  2. "Missed the Boat"
    Released: May 1, 2007
  3. "We've Got Everything"
    Released: October 2, 2007
  4. "Little Motel"
    Released: October 11, 2007
  5. "People as Places as People"
    Released: 2007

We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank is the fifth studio album by American alternative rock band Modest Mouse, released in 2007. It followed their previous studio album, 2004's Good News for People Who Love Bad News . It is the band's only full-length with former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr as a member. [3] It is also their last with founding member and bassist Eric Judy. It has a strong nautical theme and was originally envisioned as a concept album about a boat crew that dies in every song. [4]

Contents

This album was certified Gold by the RIAA on June 11, 2009. [5] As of February 2015, it has sold 649,000 copies in the US. [6]

Production

The album was recorded at Sweet Tea Studio in Oxford, Mississippi, with producer Dennis Herring, becoming the second consecutive Modest Mouse album to be recorded at that location and with that producer. [7] Audible Alchemy in Portland, Oregon, was also credited as a recording studio for the album. The original drummer for Modest Mouse, Jeremiah Green, also returned to the band for this album. [8] Additionally, James Mercer of The Shins sings backup vocals on the tracks "We've Got Everything", "Missed the Boat", and "Florida". [9]

The album was leaked to the Internet on February 15, 2007, a full month before its official release on March 20, 2007. In its first week of release, the album debuted at No. 1 in the Billboard 200 selling 128,585 copies. [10]

The album also reached No. 1 in Canada, where it was certified gold in June 2008 and sold 50,000 copies.

Johnny Marr's contribution

In an interview, Isaac Brock said of Johnny Marr: "He made a cautious commitment to write and record with us, and then the tighter we got, he was like, 'okay, let's tour too.' Then he was pretty much a member of the band—not pretty much; he's a full blown member of the band. It's really fuckin' nice." [3] According to Brock, Marr was involved in songwriting on the album, and would tour with the band in support of it. In the interview, Brock described We Were Dead... as a "nautical balalaika carnival romp". Johnny Marr later responded to Brock's comments by saying "Isaac contacted me and asked if I'd help Modest Mouse write the new album. I was intrigued and played with the band in Portland a couple of times. We hit it off and wrote three great songs straight away, something clicked, it felt right from the off. I have a new Healers album pretty much done, but we've been having such a good time playing these new Modest Mouse songs. When people hear the record they'll see why, we're very good together." [11]

Release details

The album was originally intended to be released in the United States and Canada on December 19, 2006, but in an e-mail sent to members of Modest Mouse's mailing list on October 6, 2006, the album was pushed back: "The forthcoming record We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank is set for release early next year...". [12] It was pushed back until March 20, 2007, and released on April 2, 2007 in Ireland and the United Kingdom. [13] The album was also released in Australia on March 17 and Germany on March 30.

Two CD versions of the album were released for purchase: the regular version, which comes in a standard jewel case, and the deluxe digipak version which "includes a digipack and a 32-page full color booklet all packaged in a deluxe slipcase" made of canvas. [14] The Sony Music website also offers a double gatefold (2 LP) 180-gram vinyl edition of the album. [15]

Singles

The first single released from the album was "Dashboard" in January 2007. It was first sent to members of the Modest Mouse e-mail list on January 3 and is still present on the band's media player on their official Myspace page. The song was released to radio on January 16, and made available at the iTunes Store on January 29. [9]

The second single was "Missed the Boat", with the video being directed by Christopher Mills (who also directed the "Float On" video). It peaked at No. 24. [16]

The third single is "Little Motel". The video was shown on the official Modest Mouse YouTube channel on October 11, 2007.

"People as Places as People" was the final single released from the album. The music video featured a woman bringing her husband, a humanoid tree, to visit her parents.

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 78/100 [17]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [18]
The A.V. Club A− [19]
Entertainment Weekly A− [20]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [21]
Los Angeles Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [22]
NME 7/10 [23]
Pitchfork 7.8/10 [24]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [25]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [26]
Spin Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [27]

The album holds a score of 78 out of 100 from Metacritic based on "generally favorable reviews". [17] The A.V. Club gave it an A− and said, "Easier than ever to grasp, yet still constantly, joyously vexing, We Were Dead is another terrific set from a band that couldn't make something dull even if drowning were the only other option." [4] Under the Radar gave it a score of nine stars out of ten and said it was "Not just an album that revisits the dancey guitar-pop that made "Float On" an unlikely No. 1 hit, but sharpens and emboldens it for [Modest Mouse's] most accessible album to date." [17] Blender gave it four-and-a-half stars out of five and said, "Is there another 'Float On'? It scarcely matters: 10 years into their career, Modest Mouse have stumbled into their best album yet." [17] The Austin Chronicle gave it four stars out of five and said the album "sounds like Modest Mouse, only better." [28] Mojo also gave it four stars out of five and called it "a winner". [17] Uncut likewise gave it four stars out of five and said it "adds a newfound sang-froid to [the band's] quiet/loud approach." [17] Q also gave it four stars and called it "a fantastic voyage". [17] Spin gave it a score of eight out of ten and stated, "While Brock's pop instincts have never been more refined, his jitteriness has never run more rampant." [29] Alternative Press gave it four stars out of five and said that "Much of [the album] feels like a culmination of the sound that Modest Mouse have spent the last decade or so honing." [17] musicOMH also gave it four stars out of five and said of Modest Mouse, "This is a band working at the very top of their game, and this album is a beautiful, brilliant beast." [1] Billboard gave it a favorable review and stated, "There's more melody than usual to be found here." [17] The Hartford Courant also gave it a favorable review and called it "a successful experiment... largely because the differences between Marr and Mouse turn out to be more harmonious than anyone could have expected." [30]

Almost Cool gave the album a score of 7.25 out of ten and said that it was "not as excellent as [the band's] early work, but still pretty entertaining." [31] Yahoo! Music UK gave it seven stars out of ten and stated, "The problem is, there's simply too much record here." [32] Playlouder gave it three-and-a-half stars out of five and said it "could be Modest Mouse's finest hour were it not a little long - the nuances are occasionally rather swamped by the effort of listening to the hour-long record through." [33] Slant Magazine also gave it three-and-a-half stars out of five and called it "a really good, if not necessarily phenomenal, rock record." [34] The Boston Globe gave it a positive review and said that if the album "is a little much to take in all at once, the sheer mass of the tunes becomes easier to manage over repeated listens." [35] LAS Magazine gave the album a score of 6.8 out of ten and said, "A disproportionate amount of the album's tracks sound like a commercialized knockoff of previous songs, past highlights revisited after a process of radio ready distillation." [36] Prefix Magazine gave it 6.5 out of ten and called the album "exhausting". [37]

Other reviews are average or mixed: Now gave the album a score of three stars out of five and said, "The album as a whole does drag on, and the songs aren't as immediately grabby as those on their last disc, but We Were Dead is more interesting and varied than Good News." [38] Hot Press also gave it a score of three out of five and said it had "some excellent moments". [39] The Village Voice gave it an average review and said, "Imagine the cheerful fatalism of "Float On" without the hooks, which is bizarre: Hooks would seem to be Marr's specialty." [40]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Isaac Brock; all music is composed by Modest Mouse

No.TitleLength
1."March into the Sea"3:30
2."Dashboard"4:06
3."Fire It Up"4:34
4."Florida"2:56
5."Parting of the Sensory"5:34
6."Missed the Boat"4:24
7."We've Got Everything"3:40
8."Fly Trapped in a Jar"4:30
9."Education"3:56
10."Little Motel"4:44
11."Steam Engenius"4:26
12."Spitting Venom"8:26
13."People as Places as People"3:42
14."Invisible"4:00
Total length:62:28

Bonus material

Personnel

Modest Mouse

Additional personnel

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [53] Gold50,000^
United States (RIAA) [54] Gold500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Smiths</span> English rock band

The Smiths were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1982, composed of singer Morrissey, guitarist Johnny Marr, bassist Andy Rourke, and drummer Mike Joyce. Morrissey and Marr formed the band's songwriting partnership. The Smiths are regarded as one of the most important acts to emerge from 1980s British independent music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Marr</span> Musician (born 1963)

John Martin Marr is a musician, songwriter and singer. He first achieved fame as the guitarist and co-songwriter of the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 1987. He has since performed with numerous other bands and embarked on a solo career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Modest Mouse</span> American rock band

Modest Mouse is an American rock band formed in 1993 in Issaquah, Washington, and currently based in Portland, Oregon. The founding members were lead singer/guitarist Isaac Brock, drummer Jeremiah Green and bassist Eric Judy. They achieved critical acclaim for their albums The Lonesome Crowded West (1997) and The Moon & Antarctica (2000) and found mainstream success with the release of Good News for People Who Love Bad News (2004) and its singles "Float On" and "Ocean Breathes Salty".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Shins</span> American indie rock band

The Shins is an American indie rock band formed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1996. The band is the project of singer-songwriter James Mercer, who has served as the band's sole constant member throughout numerous line-up changes. The band's current line-up consists of Mercer, alongside Yuuki Matthews, Mark Watrous, Patti King (keyboards), and Jon Sortland (drums). They are based in Portland, Oregon.

<i>The Moon & Antarctica</i> 2000 studio album by Modest Mouse

The Moon & Antarctica is the third studio album by American rock band Modest Mouse, released on June 13, 2000, by Epic Records. The album's title is taken from the opening scene of the 1982 film Blade Runner, where the main character reads a newspaper headlined "Farming the Oceans, the Moon and Antarctica".

<i>Good News for People Who Love Bad News</i> 2004 studio album by Modest Mouse

Good News for People Who Love Bad News is the fourth studio album by American rock band Modest Mouse, released on April 6, 2004, by Epic Records. Founding member Jeremiah Green did not perform on this album due to his temporary absence from the band, and it would be the only release during his time with Modest Mouse that he would not appear on.

<i>Sad Sappy Sucker</i> 2001 studio album by Modest Mouse

Sad Sappy Sucker is a 2001 studio album released by alternative rock band Modest Mouse. Originally slated to be Modest Mouse's debut album in 1994, Sad Sappy Sucker was shelved for several years until its eventual release in 2001, following the popularity of the band's third album The Moon & Antarctica. Several songs were recorded at Olympia, Washington's Dub Narcotic Studios by Beat Happening frontman Calvin Johnson. The record was officially released by Johnson's label K Records on April 24, 2001, available in both Compact Disc and vinyl LP, and containing nine additional tracks added to the original track listing of 15 songs.

Ugly Casanova was an American indie rock band signed to Sub Pop Records. The band has released one album, Sharpen Your Teeth.

Dann Gallucci is an American songwriter, producer, musician and audio engineer best known for his work with Modest Mouse, The Murder City Devils, and Cold War Kids. Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Gallucci met Modest Mouse's Isaac Brock in Seattle, Washington in 1993, playing guitar with the band intermittently before joining full-time to record several singles that would eventually appear on the album Sad Sappy Sucker, released by independent record label K Records in 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Mercer (musician)</span> American singer-songwriter (born 1970)

James Russell Mercer is an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is the founder, vocalist, lead songwriter, and sole remaining original member of the indie rock group The Shins. In 2009, Mercer and producer Danger Mouse formed the side project Broken Bells, for which they released a self-titled album in March 2010, followed by After the Disco in 2014, and then Into the Blue in 2022. Mercer also has acted, appearing in Matt McCormick's feature film Some Days Are Better Than Others, which premiered in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Modest Mouse discography</span> Band discography.

The discography of Modest Mouse, an American indie rock band, consists of seven studio albums, six extended plays, two compilation albums, four low fidelity cassette releases, one live album, 25 singles, and nine reissues. Three of their releases have been certified at least Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments in excess of 500,000 copies. One release has further been certified Double Platinum, for shipments in excess of 2,000,000 copies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dashboard (song)</span> 2007 single by Modest Mouse

"Dashboard" is a song by American indie rock band Modest Mouse and is the second track on their 2007 album We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank. The song was released as the first single from that album and peaked at number 5 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart. It debuted and peaked at #61 in the Billboard Hot 100 in early February 2007. In late May 2007, the song was released as a single in the United Kingdom with "King Rat" as the B-side. This single coincided with the band's UK tour. This song was #87 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Missed the Boat</span> 2007 single by Modest Mouse

"Missed the Boat" is a song by American indie rock band Modest Mouse and is the sixth track on their 2007 album, We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank. The song was released as the second single from that album and peaked at #24 in Billboard's Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King Rat (song)</span> 2007 single by Modest Mouse

"King Rat" is a song by indie rock band Modest Mouse and appears as the title track to their fifth promotional single, following "The World At Large". The single was later released on the band's 2009 EP No One's First, and You're Next. The promo also features the song "Fire It Up" from their 2007 album We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Plummer</span> American drummer

Joseph E. Plummer is an American drummer from Portland, Oregon. From 2004 to 2012, Plummer was a percussionist and drummer for the indie rock band Modest Mouse and performed on their album, We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank.

Fire It Up is a song released by Modest Mouse on their album We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank.

<i>No Ones First, and Youre Next</i> 2009 EP by Modest Mouse

No One's First, and You're Next is an EP by American indie rock band Modest Mouse, released on August 4, 2009. It features unreleased tracks and B-sides from the band's previous two studio albums, Good News for People Who Love Bad News (2004) and We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank (2007). The collection of repolished outtakes was first mentioned in February 2008 when Rolling Stone conducted a short interview with frontman Isaac Brock in their "Smoking Section" column; however, no other news regarding its release surfaced until an entire year later.

<i>Strangers to Ourselves</i> 2015 studio album by Modest Mouse

Strangers to Ourselves is the sixth studio album by American alternative rock band Modest Mouse, which was released on March 17, 2015, two weeks after its initially announced release date of March 3. The album was leaked to the internet on March 7, 2015. On March 16, 2015, the day before the album's official release date, Strangers to Ourselves was made available for download on Amazon.com and the iTunes Store.

This article summarizes the events related to rock music for the year of 2007.

<i>The Golden Casket</i> 2021 studio album by Modest Mouse

The Golden Casket is the seventh studio album by the American alternative rock band Modest Mouse, released on June 25, 2021, on Epic Records. Produced by Dave Sardy and Jacknife Lee, the album was preceded by the singles, "We Are Between", "Leave a Light On" and "The Sun Hasn't Left".

References

  1. 1 2 "Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank | Albums". April 1, 2007. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Modest Mouse: We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  3. 1 2 Phillips, Amy (2006-08-22). "Modest Mouse Set Title, Release Date". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on 2007-10-24. Retrieved 2007-01-16.
  4. 1 2 Modell, Josh (20 March 2007). "Modest Mouse: We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank". The A.V. Club . Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  5. ↑ "American album certifications – Modest Mouse – We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank". Recording Industry Association of America.
  6. ↑ "Upcoming Releases". Hits Daily Double. HITS Digital Ventures. Archived from the original on February 28, 2015.
  7. ↑ Phillips, Amy (2006-08-04). "Johnny Marr Officially a Member of Modest Mouse". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on September 5, 2006.
  8. ↑ Scanlon, Tom (2006-10-10). "The Rock Desk with Patrick MacDonald". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on October 15, 2007.
  9. 1 2 Maher, Dave (2007-01-03). "Pitchfork: News — January 3, 2007". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on January 9, 2007.
  10. ↑ "Modest Mouse Tops The Charts". March 28, 2007. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Johnny Marr official site" . Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  12. ↑ BrooklynVegan Staff, , ' 'BrooklynVegan', 7 October 2006
  13. ↑ Cohen, Jonathan (2007-01-26). "Modest Mouse Confirms Release Date, Track List". Billboard . Archived from the original on March 1, 2007.
  14. ↑ "We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank — Deluxe Limited Edition CD Package". Sonymusicstore.com. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  15. ↑ "We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank — Vinyl". Sonymusicstore.com. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  16. ↑ "Video Static: Music Video News: April 8, 2007 - April 14, 2007". Video Static. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 18 April 2011.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Reviews for We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank by Modest Mouse". Metacritic . Retrieved July 26, 2015.
  18. ↑ Brown, Marisa. "We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank – Modest Mouse". AllMusic . Retrieved July 26, 2015.
  19. ↑ Modell, Josh (March 20, 2007). "Modest Mouse: We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank". The A.V. Club . Retrieved July 26, 2015.
  20. ↑ Collis, Clark (March 16, 2007). "We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on March 7, 2016. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
  21. ↑ Costa, Maddy (March 30, 2007). "Modest Mouse, We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank". The Guardian . Retrieved July 26, 2015.
  22. ↑ Nichols, Natalie (March 18, 2007). "The silver-lining crew is back with more". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved July 26, 2015.
  23. ↑ Richards, Sam (April 4, 2007). "Modest Mouse – We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank". NME . Archived from the original on October 11, 2012. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
  24. ↑ Mitchum, Rob (March 19, 2007). "Modest Mouse: We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank". Pitchfork . Retrieved July 26, 2015.
  25. ↑ "Modest Mouse: We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank". Q (250): 128. May 2007.
  26. ↑ Christgau, Robert (March 7, 2007). "We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on February 25, 2011. Retrieved July 26, 2015.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  27. ↑ Raftery, Brian (April 2007). "Into the Deep". Spin . 23 (4): 85. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
  28. ↑ "Modest Mouse: We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank Album Review". www.austinchronicle.com. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  29. ↑ "Modest Mouse, 'We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank' (Epic)". Spin. March 29, 2007. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  30. ↑ DANTON, -- ERIC R. (22 March 2007). "MODEST MOUSE". courant.com. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  31. ↑ "Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank - almost cool music review". www.almostcool.org. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  32. ↑ "LAUNCH, Music on Yahoo! - Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank". Archived from the original on April 30, 2007. Retrieved April 30, 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  33. ↑ "Modest Mouse: We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank (2007) review PLAYLOUDER". Archived from the original on May 2, 2007. Retrieved May 2, 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  34. ↑ Newlin, Jimmy (2 April 2007). "Review: Modest Mouse, We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank". Slant Magazine . Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  35. ↑ "It's OK if you get seasick - Boston.com". www.boston.com. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  36. ↑ "LAS Magazine review" . Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  37. ↑ "Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank Album Review" . Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  38. ↑ Liss, Sarah (March 22, 2007). "MODEST MOUSE". NOW Magazine. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  39. ↑ Murphy, Kilian. "We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank". Hotpress. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  40. ↑ "The Village Voice review" . Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  41. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Modest Mouse – We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  42. ↑ "Modest Mouse Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  43. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Modest Mouse – We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  44. ↑ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Modest Mouse". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  45. ↑ モデスト・マウスの作品 (in Japanese). Oricon . Retrieved April 11, 2022.
  46. ↑ "Charts.nz – Modest Mouse – We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  47. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Modest Mouse – We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  48. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  49. ↑ "Modest Mouse Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  50. ↑ "Modest Mouse Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  51. ↑ "Modest Mouse Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  52. ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2007". Billboard. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  53. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Modest Mouse – We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank". Music Canada . Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  54. ↑ "American album certifications – Modest Mouse – We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved March 7, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.