Pitchfork

What began as merely a flirtation has now blossomed into a full-blown romance, as Modest Mouse and ex-Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr have gone public with their intention to stay together forever and ever (or at least until the end of the next Modest Mouse tour).

As previously reported, Marr and Modest Mouse frontman Isaac Brock had been working on songs together for the next Modest Mouse album. The partnership wasn't supposed to extend beyond that, but, as Brock revealed to RollingStone.com yesterday, the guys ended up liking each other so much, they didn't want the fun to end just yet. Brock said, "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."

Rolling Stone also reports that the new album was recorded at Sweet Tea studios in Mississippi, just like the last Modest Mouse LP, 2004's Good News for People Who Love Bad News. The forthcoming disc is "a nautical balalaika carnival romp" according to Brock, and its tentative title is We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank. Liars are totally pissed they didn't think of that first.

Modest Marr currently have only two gigs scheduled, and they're both festival appearances. First there's the Bang Music Festival on November 11 at Miami's Bicentennial Park. Gnarls Barkley, Los Amigos Invisibles, Kinky, Yerba Buena, Tiësto, and a bunch of other raver people are also set to play. Then there's Australia's Falls Festival, taking place December 30 to January 1 in Victoria and Tasmania. This will be Modest Mouse's first trip to Australia. Jamie Lidell, Wolfmother, the Bees, Michael Franti and Spearhead, and many more will also appear.