'Nuther day, 'nuther new record.
The Mountain Goats is, essentially, John Darnielle. Of late, he's been playing with a full(ish) band, but he first made his bones and name with a lengthy discography of simple recordings, some done on a boombox. A hyper-literate lyricist, Darnielle nevertheless couches his observations on heartbreak, joy, and life lived in moments with melting melody and a (mostly acoustic) guitar style that feeds and veers with each song, an instrument on par with Darnielle's voice.
The Mountain Goats have a new record out, The Life of the World to Come, and, like many of their albums, it's a themed work. And that theme is...The Bible. Yup, Darnielle takes on the Good Book. But, like all his work, it's a theme that takes on a life of it's own, using verses from the Bible as springboards into his head. Not a religious tract, and certainly not a Jesus album, it's a cycle of lost and found, the beating heart and the downcast eye.
It's a starkly beautiful record of confession, loss, and tiny joy.
The first song, "Romans 10:9", is taken from the new Mountain Goats' record, "The Life of the World to Come". It's our favorite tune on the album. It's impossible to give a full overview of Darnielle's work in a few songs, so for the rest, we selected a couple of our current favorites. Every Mountain Goats fan probably has a list that differs widely.
Sit back and dream.
The Mountain Goats: Romans 10:9 (mp3)
The Mountain Goats: Cubs In 5 (mp3)
The Mountain Goats: Elijah (mp3)
The Mountain Goats: Mess Inside (mp3)
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