If you’re the type of person who likes songs about failed and failing relationships, the repercussions of drug and alcohol abuse and general angst, ailing, and woe, you’ll like this week’s band. If you don’t, you’re about to. This week we have a veteran in the art of writing heart-string pulling music that can bring you to the darkest depths and the greatest heights with superb lyricism. This week we bring to you the talent of the Mountain Goats.
The Mountain Goats were created in
1991 by frontman John Darnielle. In fact, it was only Darnielle. He began his journey in Claremont, California recording EPs and singles directly onto a boombox. He recorded with his voice, a guitar, and the occasional friend providing added instrumentals. The interesting thing about the Mountain Goats’ early recordings, including the recording of the first few full-length albums, is that the grainy tape provides an interesting sound to tracks, often acting as an instrument itself. The low-fi recordings seem to set the tone for Darnielle’s themes of anguish (and overall strangeness in some songs).
Darnielle has since moved on to cleaner sounds and has gotten rid of the boombox as his main tool to record his music, but his lyrics remain strong and the forefront of his musical prowess. For a time Darnielle had written mainly of others’ experiences and stories he’d come across, but with the release of Up until 2005’s release of The Sunset Tree, his music took a turn to the autobiographical, enriching his musical experience even more. Whatever his inspiration, his use of metaphor, vivid descriptions, and attention to detail deftly capture human emotion and it’s with this that he drives his stories. It would be fair to say he is an able candidate for this generation’s Bob Dylan.
The Mountain Goats was just Darnielle for a number of years until he picked up bassist Peter Hughes making them a duo and in 2007 acquired drummer Jon Wurster. Darnielle is still the heart of the band, though he has also collaborated with several other artists including John Vanderslice (who also produced many of the Mountain Goats’ albums, and their most recent collaboration, a group called the Comedians, produced the album Moon Colony Bloodbath about organ harvesters on the moon), Aesop Rock, Franklin Bruno (who Darnielle formed the Extra Glenns with.), and many others. The Mountain Goats albums are put out almost every year and the material is always fresh and rewarding.
Whether they’re singing about a doomed couple trying desperately to rekindle their marriage, verses of the bible, the trauma caused by child abuse, or badgers, the Mountain Goats perform to their utmost best whatever they choose their topic to be. Their most recent album, All Eternals Deck was released in March, and the band shows no signs of slowing down in their quest to make music that is meaningful to people. Next week they will be playing shows at the Detroit Bar, El Rey, and Soho Restaurant and Music Club. If you’re fortunate enough to attend and haven’t seen them before, be prepared for a very personal and interactive show with a crowd devoted to their musical shepherd. If not, follow the links below to see what you’re missing out on.
Useful Links