release date: Mar. 20, 2007
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,68]
producer: Dennis Herring
label: Epic Records - nationality: USA
Track highlights: 1. "March Into the Sea" - 2. "Dashboard" (4 / 5) (live) - 3. "Fire It Up" (4 / 5) - 4. "Florida" (4 / 5) - 5. "Parting of the Sensory" - 6. "Missed the Boat" (live) - 7. "We've Got Everything" (4 / 5) - 10. "Little Motel" - 13. "People as Places as People"
5th studio album by Modest Mouse is the first instance on which the band make use of the producer from their previous album. It has taken the band 3 years since the acclaimed 2004 album, and in the meantime the band is expanded with former The Smiths' guitarist and musical composer, Johnny Marr who joined the band in 2006 now making the band a sextet. Lead vocalist and guitarist Isaac Brock is credited for all lyrics and the music is credited the band, which now consists of Isaac Brock, Jeremiah Green, Eric Judy, Johnny Marr, Tom Peloso, and Joe Plummer.
We Were Dead... is a bit of a conceptual album with all tracks telling different versions of a ship crew that dies in each song. Initially, and for some time, I found the album a bit dull - like almost all albums I have come by with this band feel at a first listen - the music may not catch you [i.e. 'me'] the first couple of times; however, there's nearly almost something that makes me listen again, and then... things / songs pop to the surface - now I find it clearly above average and almost on par with their great 2004 album. It's not just another copy of their well-known compositions as this is their perhaps most mainstream sounding album, and then again: it also contains some truly off-beat songs.
Occasionally, I have tried to find Marr on this, but he doesn't reveal himself too much and mostly just blends in nicely, but you'll hear some well-known riffs here and there. The album (only) reached #47 on the UK album charts list but it went to #1 in the US and in Canada.
[ allmusic.com 3 / 5, Rolling Stone 3,5 / 5, The Guardian 4 / 5 stars ]
