Drawing from influences such as Pavement, the Pixies, and Talking Heads, the Issaquah, Washington, USA-based art-punk unit Modest Mouse initially featured Isaac Brock (b. 9 July 1975, Issaquah, Washington, USA; vocals/guitar), Dann Gallucci (guitar), Eric Judy (bass) and Jeremiah Green (drums). Formed in 1992, the band rehearsed and recorded demos for nearly two years, before signing with local indie label K Records and issuing several singles. Modest Mouse quickly set themselves apart from their indie rock peers by indulging at times with songs that stretched anywhere from five to ten minutes. Independent label, Up, signed the band next (with Gallucci having now departed), and issued inaugural full-length recordings such as 1996's This Is A Long Drive For Someone With Nothing To Think About and 1997's Lonesome Crowded West.
After returning to the K label for The Fruit That Ate Itself (the same year as their second outing), Modest Mouse shocked the indie underground by signing on with the major label conglomerate Sony, who issued the trio's fourth release, The Moon & Antarctica, in 2000. The same year, a 12-track compilation album of early singles was released, and then a few months later K Records released the band's "lost" 1994 debut, Sad Sappy Sucker. In 2002, Brock released an acclaimed album under the Ugly Casanova moniker. Benjamin Weikel replaced Green in the Modest Mouse line-up later in the year, but fans of this endearing band had to wait until 2004 for a new album. Former guitarist Dann Gallucci also returned to the line-up on the excellent Good News For People Who Love Bad News. Appealing to both the band's fans and the critics, the album broke into the upper regions of the Billboard 200.
Their next release featured both the return of original drummer Green and the addition of former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr to the line-up, the latter a notable coup for the band. With mainstream interest in Modest Mouse rocketing, We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank topped the US charts in March 2007.
