before we were dead

From somewhere in '92 until the beginning of '04, I DJed in pretty much every imaginable situation for a techno DJ. Clubs, house parties, raves, big fields in Wisconsin whatever no difference to me. Prior to this I had a pretty voracious appetite for all kinds of music but due to limitations of funds and just being so into what I was doing as a DJ, my tastes narrowed and I didn't listen to much outside of the techno I was playing or maybe some dub to chill out.

Sometime in the middle of all this I started dating a girl who was into the local indie rock scene about as much as I was into the techno scene (friends with a number of bands, went to all the shows, blah, blah, blah). Matter of fact the first night I met her, I was at a friends getting ready to go spin at a house party and she was like you have to hear this album and put on Neutral Milk Hotel's "In the Airplane Over the Sea." Nor really what I was into at the time, but she was so passionate about it I gave it a chance (as an aside that is now one of my all time favorite records).

From there I introduced her to the techno scene (our first date was dinner and then a rave I was spinning-I know how lame) and she introduced me to her scene (lesson 1 - indie rock guys don't like rave guys; at least then they didn't). She also introduced me to more music and I immediately fell in love with Olivia Tremor Control and The Dandy Warhols, but there were a number of bands that I just didn't get. The Make-Up was one of these.

Another band that I REALLY didn't like was Modest Mouse. The music was jagged and tinny sounding, and I HATED his voice. There is nothing more irritating than Isaac Brock at 5:30 in the morning after you have been spinning and hanging out at a rave all night after working all day long.

Time goes on, people stop dating, but I kept exploring the indie scene and finding more and more bands that I was into.

Then one day "Float On" happens. I kind of ignored it at first because of who it was, but it was a good song and it was everywhere (admit it, it's going through your head right now isn't it). Soon enough I had the album and liked it-a lot. It didn't remind me of any of the previous stuff I had heard from them. Either they had changed or I had forgotten. Either way, I didn't care.

Soon enough I found a used copy of "Moon & Antarctica" and picked that up and loved it as well.

Which brings me to their new album "We were dead before the ship even sank." To me this album sounds like an extension of the songwriting for "Good News..." It even opens with a little ditty that is reminiscent of the horns intro on Good News.

I didn't like Dashboard at first, it is obviously the Float On of the new album, but over repeated listens it has grabbed me and the big epic chorus in Florida reminds me of something that I can't place my finger on even after repeated listens, and maybe because of this it stands out to me as one of the better tracks on the album.

Unfortunately it is not as good of an album as Good News. To me Good News was a damn near perfect album, there is not one song I don't like.

We Were Dead just isn't as solid, it is a good album though and despite its flaws I would recommend it.