Modest Mouse's new album - or - at least Johnny Marr ain't singin'

So I've had the new Modest Mouse album for about a week now. The awkwardly titled We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank (c'mon, Isaac, couldn't you have done better than that?) has been a hotly anticipated release for two reasons. Firstly, their last album turned them from an oddball major-label act toiling in relative obscurity into MTV stars via the fluke hit "Float On," which became a summer anthem despite its idiosyncrasies. Secondly, former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, who wrote some of the greatest rock songs ever (as well as being one of the genre's best players), signed on as guitarist and songwriting partner.

So the indie community waited with bated breath for more than two years to see how the group would follow up their freak platinum album. Having heard it, all I can say is, well, more of the same, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Had "Float On" not been a top 40 single and Johnny Marr not joined, it would have been just another Modest Mouse album - full of spazzy anti-grooves and Isaac Brock's jittery yelp. Still, it's a much more accessible work than it's predecessor, even in the case of the ambitious "Spitting Venom" (my favorite on the record).

Speaking of Marr, his presence here is rather negligible. Those like me who were hoping for the jaw-dropping ringing leads he lent to the Smiths will be disappointed. I dunno why I had my hopes up; after all, he hasn't played like that since the Smiths broke up, not even when he was in Electronic or The The.

So was it worth the wait? Yeah, but it's not going to change your life any more or less than The Moon and Antarctica. It's certainly more engaging than whatever shiny turd Norah Jones is hurling at gawkers on the other side of the cage, so let's at least hope the boys have another fluke hit, if for no other reason than to make radio tolerable for another four minutes at a time this spring.

We've Got Everything - http://www.mediafire.com/?fywggjgixnh

Invisible - http://www.mediafire.com/?dghiz35uj2u

Spitting Venom - http://www.mediafire.com/?1oa1zhzmdjg