We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank

I must admit that throwing this album on for the first time was a bit of a nerve-wrecking experience as I have absolutely fallen in love with their back catalog and didn't want to be dissapointed.

Thankfully the first track is brilliant and catchy enough that all my fears were immediately eased. I did find myself listening out for which parts of the album were Marr's or Mercer's being a Smiths and Shins fan as well. However with the second listen it all came together perfectly.

The stand out tracks for me are Dashboard (single material), We've Got Everything (lyrically brilliant) and the insanely catchy Shins-esque Missed the Boat. Yet, like all Modest Mouse albums it can only be truly appreciated when listened to from start to finish. No other band around hold your attention quite like Isaac Brock and the boys.

The rapid changes of pace from crazed pop perfection to sleepy meandering riffage all held together with bizarrely enthralling lyrics can only be truly appreciated after multiple listens. I have only had this album two days and listened to it 4 times and I can quite confidently assert that if you were a fan before you'll have 14 more resons to love them afterwards.

If you've never listened to them, this is a great introduction to one of the best, most inventive bands around at the moment. A word of warning though if you fall in love with Modest Mouse then you better have some money in the old bank account because you won't be able to resist their other, equally brilliant albums.

This was my first Modest Mouse CD, I have to say being a fan of Pavement and the Minutemen that this became instantly accesible. There are a few immediate stand out tracks but the more you listen to it the more it grows on you. I would recommend this highly. I have now gone into their back catalogue and purchased Good News for People Who Love Bad News and have to say I wonder why I never bought any of it earlier!

It's time to freak out.

In the privacy of your own home, on the bus surrounded by several OAPs, in the build up to the gig where the DJ finally plays a song you like, whatever situation, most of the material on this record, Modest Mouse's sixth, will make your mind explode due to high pressure, make your limbs looser, give you the confidence to go a bit wild.

80% of this is true.

Because chances are, after several listens, as the album gradually grows on you, you'll be shouting at a rapid pace the words "Somehow you will die someday and someone's gonna steal your carbon!" during one of the final tracks on this record, 'Parting Of The Sensory'. It's one of the stronger moments on this rock solid album, one that will disappoint some possibly, but if you're a newcomer to this band, or simply someone with an open mind, this album could take over your life in a matter of a week. And those lyrics that you'll be singing are immensely powerful, meant to be sung in groups of fifty. But if that doesn't happen and someone tells you to turn the sound down, simply state: "Sorry, it's just an impulse". Because chances are, this album will control your body in ways that not many others can. It could change your mood in a matter of 1 song, to a sinister yet joyous one, or maybe it might just turn you into a maniac.

It's the vocals of Isaac Brock that do it, his furious stance on the modern day comes across and gets in your head like you have a mind of a toddler, learning everything you see and hear instantly. It's his raging confidence that makes this album stand out from the pack of American alternative albums, along with the magnificent backbone of the band overall, including that of Johnny Marr, whose presence doesn't quite stand out in this record as it did in previous records, but his genius is still obviously a contribution.

Single "Dashboard" is an example of a moment on the album which could either make a jubilant impression or one that will be ignored forever, a track that could be skipped straight away by those many fans who haven't taken to the sound of it very well so far, but those that believe that it's an instantaneous catchy affair will be taken under the rest of the record's wing at ease, because "Dashboard" may be a bit too commercial, a bit too unlike Wolf Parade, but it's still got the spirit of a thousand enthusiastic musicians giving it their all. However whatever your impression on some of the material on this record, there will be one song which you cannot ignore, simply cannot let pass by. "Spitting Venom". An 8 and a half minute epic which energizes your mind more and more as it increases in animation audacity. "Hold on to what you need/We've got a knack for messed up history" are more powerful words than they could possibly be in any other situation, on any other record, sung by any other vocalist. It is quite possibly as close to perfection as you can reach with music in 2007, the best thing I've heard so far this year? Quite possibly. As they personify this "ship" that is sinking, chances are, you will fall in love.

And there's more to find in this record that seems like it lasts an eternity. It may be an eternity, but it's an eternity of emotional joy for the listener. Despite moments of defying bonkers music, there are times where you can sit back and shed a tear. "Little Motel" is a five minute apology to a loved one, and as the guitars a prominent, they are the feature of the song that will get you weepy. "Missed The Boat" is another one that could get you holding your tears back, a highlight of the record, The Shins' lead singer James Mercer adds in some backing vocals to add to the already unstoppable spirit of the record, and then the final note of " Oh, what useless tools ourselves" fades away, you can safely reassure yourself that this band are somewhat genius' of their time, their records grow on your more and more, lots of records do these days, but there is something special about this record. Something that you probably won't find in any other record this year or the next. The odd moment of perfection.

Wrap it up and keep it warm.