We were dead before the ship even sank, but goshdarnit we were winners

Here are the five randomly selected victors of the recent Fuel contest to win the new dramatically-titled Modest Mouse album, We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank. I'll never let go, Jack.

MODEST MOUSE CD WINNERS

Mitch, who said...
Have to go with 3rd Planet - shaken foundations, false gods, all the great things that make us one messed up species of primate! The whole album is brilliant though (you know that already, I bet) with thrown away thoughts and phrases reappearing as themes in other songs...

Kevin Dean, who said...
'Tis a difficult task to pick a favorite MM song. I almost had a brain aneurysm. After a long scientific test i have concluded that
The Devil's Workday from Good News .... is my favorite. It's almost an homage to Tom Waits with its weirdo rhythyms and vocal stylings. The lyrics border on psychotic. A few years ago I was working part-time in a kitchen. All of the weirdos in the kitchen loved said song. Most would probably find the track to be a throwaway from that album, but it really has stuck with me. After that i'd pick the lovely, simple "Gravity Rides Everything".

MattC, who said...
I would have said 3rd Planet without even having to think before I heard the song Florida off of this latest album. Great song for the car, as the weather is warming up.

Dirt - LPBME, who said...
How about a cover...South of Heaven. Seems the boys are fans of Slayer and had to do a cover of their most "friendly song". I certainly appreciate this cover as a look back at where we came from.

pen cap, who said...
Medication off of an old 7" but later on Building Something Out of Nothing. Isaac is great at the quiet-to-loud and slow-to-fast thing, but on this song his style fits the narrative better than on most MM songs. It actually sounds and feels like hope breaking through the anti-depressants. The jangly hopeful ear-candy part of the song is wedged between the low-key and surprinsingly intimate (medicated) lines. They've got songs that kick more ass, but this one does more than just sound good.

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If all the winners could please email me your mailing address, we'll get those shipped. There were a total of thirty-something v.g. recommendations running the whole gamut. Here is what I am adding to my new "Readers' Favorite Modest Mouse" playlist on my iPod, you may create the same and we can blissfully bob our heads in unison:

3rd Planet
Dark Center of the Universe
Float On
Trucker's Atlas
Worms vs. Birds
So Much Beauty in Dirt
Shit Luck
The Devil's Workday
Florida
The World At Large
Black Cadillacs
The View
Ocean Breathes Salty
Blame It On The Tetons
Never Ending Math Equation
South of Heaven
Doin' The Cockroach
Dashboard
Talking Shit About A Pretty Sunset
Parting of the Sensory
Cowboy Dan
Whenever You See Fit
Bukowski
Missed The Boat
Stars Are Projectors
Dramamine
Out of Gas
Baby Blue Sedan
Workin' On Leavin' the Livin'
Medication

To read the impassioned commentary on why these favorites were selected, see the comments to the original post. Good work, kids.

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