The Great American Indie Plain is a largely featureless expanse comprising a million doom-laden sound-alike, floppy fringed and flannel-wearing bands. Save for one or two outcrops of interest - Cat Power, for instance, or even the Decemberists - there isn't much to excite the musical adventurer. But then there are the mighty canyons and gorges that are Modest Mouse, the Washington-state vehicle for alternative pinup boy Isaac Brock.

With a sound built like the state, from rugged rock riffs and funky basslines, Modest Mouse have managed to keep one foot in the indie wilderness while venturing into pure pop territory, scoring a couple of hits along the way.

We Were Dead ... follows much the same blueprint as 2004's Good News for People Who Love Bad News, the hit-spawning CD that broke the band worldwide.

With former Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr guesting, it finds Brock in typically schizophrenic form, barking twisted anecdotes over some of the most upbeat and muscular mope-rock this side of Bright Eyes. Hook-riddled opener Invisible sets the melodic tone, and single Dashboard, with its incessant funky riff set against Brock's anguished vocal, will have your feet tapping for days.

There's a tendency to meander a little in the middle sections of the set - the word 'filler' springing to mind uncomfortably and a little too easily on tracks such as Florida and Fire it Up - but otherwise, it's another mighty roar from the Mouse.