- 28
- Jan
I still can't figure out how John Darnielle - aka The Mountain Goats - went seamlessly from recording songs on a little boombox to using a full band in a real studio. Both versions of his band are equally compelling; the intense intimacy of his solo work simply gave way to different arrangements. In my opinion, All Hail West Texas and The Sunset Tree are both great records, in different ways.
The Mountain Goats - Sax Rohmer #1.
Darnielle keeps cranking shit out, and I for one am happy about it. I was recently talking with a friend about his latest output, and this friend thought Darnielle needs to shake it up a bit. The past few albums, he says, sound the same, and are all good, but... they sound the same. I say: eh. If there's someone who doesn't need to change a thing, it's Darnielle. And Heretic Pride, out Feb. 19 on 4AD, is a pretty sweet record. It's not perfect - some of the middle tracks weigh the thing down - but most tracks, including "Sax Rohmer #1," are quintessential Darnielle.
Pre-order Heretic Pride from Insound.