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    06:00PM 03/07/08
  • R.E.M. Accelerate: An Advance Review and Song-by-Song Analysis of the Band's New Album
    04:06AM 03/08/08
  • Your Weekly St. Louis Food Blog Digest
    03:45PM 03/07/08
  • This Is Hawkwind -- Do Not Panic
    06:08PM 11/09/07
Recent Articles

Recent Articles By Annie Zaleski

  • Sleep State
    8 p.m. Saturday, February 9. Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center, 3301 Lemp Avenue.
  • Soft
    9 p.m. Tuesday, February 12. The Bluebird, 2706 Olive Street.
  • Lloyd Dobler Effect
    9 p.m. Monday, January 14. Bluebird, 2706 Olive Street.
  • Career (Remix)
    The trials and tribulations of R. Kelly.
  • The Aviation Club
    9 p.m. Friday, January 4. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Avenue.

National Features

  • Houston Press
    "It Was Like an Armageddon Movie"

    For days after Hurricane Rita, a Texas prison was hell on earth.

    By Chris Vogel
  • SF Weekly
    The Candidate

    Our columnist knows Ralph Nader's running mate all too well.

    By Matt Smith
  • The Pitch
    How Not To Be a Rap Star

    First of all, lay off the Ecstasy.

    By Nadia Pflaum
  • Village Voice
    Project Runaway

    What becomes a gossip columnist most?

    By Michael Musto

Ex-Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr knows a little something about dealing with strong-willed vocalists (ahem, Morrissey), so it's no surprise that his contributions to the poppiest Modest Mouse record yet are solid. But it's still a treat to hear how focused Isaac Brock and Co. are on the lushly arranged Ship, perhaps thanks to new-member Marr's steadying veteran influence. "Dashboard" is Talking Heads taking a spin at the roller-disco (and is Ship's über-mainstream moment, à la the last album's "Float On"), while other songs channel the maritime folk of the Waterboys and Pogues, strident dance-punk, and (as usual) Built to Spill's nervous energy and Pavement's drawl. Even the occasional nods to Modest Mouse's less-accessible days — i.e., the string-storm "Parting of the Sensory," whose ominous chords and chorus ("Someday you will die somehow and something's gonna steal your carbon") thunder like a fire-and-brimstone sermon — somehow feel more mystical than manic.

At the same time, vocalist Isaac Brock's grunts, growls and existential musings sound even more unhinged — mainly because he's up against hi-fi production, air-tight hooks and numerous appearances by Shins vocalist James Mercer (the latter's reedy, cherubic tenor anchors the rollicking, R.E.M.-like highlight "Florida" and the ridiculously catchy lockstep march of "We've Got Everything"). And while the album starts to sound boring and feel bloated by its end — and longtime fans will likely be aghast at Ship's commercial viability — its sublime moments, coupled with Modest Mouse's newfound clarity, make for a bewitching listen.

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