Johnny Marr Becomes a Modest Mouse

After working with Isaac Brock and company on their forthcoming seventh album, former Smiths co-songwriter and guitar god Johnny Marr has formally joined Modest Mouse as a second guitarist. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Brock stated, "I took a long shot really. I was like, ‘You know, I really like that guy’s guitar playing. There’s no chance in hell he’s going to say yes, but why not give him a call?’ So I did. Eventually it all came together, and it was a really good fit, which I think actually surprised all of us. He made a cautious commitment to write and record with us, and then the tighter we got, he was like, ‘okay, let’s tour too.’ Then he was pretty much a member of the band — not pretty much. He’s a full-blown member of the band. It’s really fuckin’ nice.” Recorded at Sweet Tea studios in Mississippi, new album We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank is expected to hit stores later on this year.