Music-wise I'm glad 2009 is over. For a couple of creeky months at the end of the year I fell out of love with music for a bit. Hitting one of those spells where nothing I played made any sense and walking round listening to podcasts for most of the time. I was in a rut, caused at least partly by a bunch of sub-standard albums that I'd hoped for better from. Music for a while felt stale and lifeless.
I was dragged out of this rut by the exceptional new Tindersticks album (more on that very soon) and listening to the Velvet Underground. Music is starting to make some sense again.
I don't think that 2009 was a vintage year but there were some records that did more than tread water or cover old ground. These were the records that I kept returning to and the ones that I'll treasure from a pretty bad year for new music...
God Help The Girl 'God Help The Girl'
A superbly crafted pop record. It told a story but more importantly than that, it was great to listen to, revealing a little more each time you played it and introduced the wonderful vocal talents of Catherine Ireton. The closing track spoke to me a lot too and became a real comfort. A truly accessible, imaginative and quite splendidly fun record.
Camera Obscura 'My Maudlin Career'
There are similarites between my first and second choices and that is no coincidence. In a year when so much was dull and worthy, these records had a spark. Tracey-Anne Campbell and Camera Obscura produced their most finely crafted album yet, catchy melodies and tunes with heartfelt, personal lyrics that tugged at the heartstrings. Effortlessly good.
Mark Eitzel 'Klamath'/ 'Live From Copenhagen'
Eitzel's studio album was difficult and took a while to click with me. The mix of acoustics and electronics sometimes hiding great songs but they crystalised eventually and like every Eitzel record this had some stunning songwriting and also some pretty melodies. 'Live From Copenhagen' was not a real album (see my full review) but it was the most powerful live recording I have heard in years, the sound of an amazing songwriter singing his songs.
The Duke and The King 'Nothing Gold Can Stay'
I kept returning to this. Its such a listenable mix of folk and soul, lovely melodies, great songwriting but sounding so modern and unique. I really regret not seeing them play live yet.
Bill Callahan 'Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle'
A major return to form as Bill "gets dark again". Just great songs and moods.
The Mountain Goats 'Life Of The World To Come'
Great idea (each song was named after a bible verse), superbly executed. Some of these songs provoke an awful lot of thinking, deeply personal and beautiful songs from John Darnielle. The piano and vocals pieces were particularly heartbreaking.
Mentions should also be made of records by Hope Sandoval, M Ward, Morrissey (massively under-rated that one), The Twilight Sad and The Duckworth Lewis Method, all of which were really good.
As it stands, 2010 looks like being a quite incredible year. The Tindersticks album is incredible and there are albums to come from The Innocence Mission, Arcade Fire, Low, Radiohead and others. I am personally really looking forward to seeing Tindersticks play abroad for the first time and seeing Pavement play in May.
Lets hope 2010 lives up to expectations...
Showing posts with label the mountain goats. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the mountain goats. Show all posts
Friday, 1 January 2010
Tuesday, 6 October 2009
The Mountain Goats 'The Life of the World in Flux'
For those Mountain Goats fans who do not yet own the stunning new album (and I should say at this point that I now have FIVE versions of this in my possession...promo, ordinary cd, itunes version for the bonus track, LP and the edition I am about to mention...), you could do worse than head to Rough Trade or even roughtrade.com and buy from them.
If you do, you'll get a nice limited edition pack which contains 'The Life Of The World In Flux' a 13 track cd of demos and sketches of the album's tracks, including a couple that didn't make it onto the LP. All intimate, hushed, low key, lovely stuff.
Incidentally I've read some reviews that hint that there is an amount of cynicism in some of the lyrics on the album. Personally I don't really find that. I don't know what Darnielle's religious beliefs are but I just take these songs as poignant songs about aspects of life and of course pretty much all aspects of life are reflected in the Bible. You don't have to be a Christian to enjoy this album and if you're a non-Christian I don't see why you'd need to want Darnielle to be looking at the God-stuff in a cynical way.
Having said that, it has made me think a lot more than pretty much any other album I've listened to for a while.
If you do, you'll get a nice limited edition pack which contains 'The Life Of The World In Flux' a 13 track cd of demos and sketches of the album's tracks, including a couple that didn't make it onto the LP. All intimate, hushed, low key, lovely stuff.
Incidentally I've read some reviews that hint that there is an amount of cynicism in some of the lyrics on the album. Personally I don't really find that. I don't know what Darnielle's religious beliefs are but I just take these songs as poignant songs about aspects of life and of course pretty much all aspects of life are reflected in the Bible. You don't have to be a Christian to enjoy this album and if you're a non-Christian I don't see why you'd need to want Darnielle to be looking at the God-stuff in a cynical way.
Having said that, it has made me think a lot more than pretty much any other album I've listened to for a while.
Friday, 2 October 2009
The Mountain Goats 'The Life Of The World To Come'
John Darnielle has produced at least one new album every two years since 2002 and each one has had a theme and story of its own. This has made each new Mountain Goats album feel like a real event, you know you are going to get more than just an album of six fast songs and six ballads, you can expect a whole new feel, direction and mood.
'The Life of The World To Come' is perhaps the most radical example of this to date. Each song is named after a Bible verse and Darnielle has described the record as "12 lessons I learned from the Bible". I have had a promo copy of this album for the last 10 days and I've listened to little else, I'm now awaiting the arrival of the double vinyl record with such excitement and anticipation that its hard to believe I already know these songs so well.
In terms of sound, TLOTWTC sits somewhere between 'The Sunset Tree' and 'Get Lonely', mainly quiet, sad songs which Darnielle sings in a soft voice, but impecably written and packing a huge emotional punch. The first thing to say is that you should not be put off if you are not a Christian, (I'm not), these songs do not preach, rather they tackle universal issues life, death, regret and love. All these you will find in the Bible, but also in your own life.
After a low key, sparse opening the album hits its stride with 'Psalms 40:2' as loud and passionate as anything from the last Mountain Goats album, the more upbeat 'Heretic Pride' and containing some classic Darnielle wordplay ("feel bad about the things we do/ but not really that bad"), it moves nicely into the jaunty 'Genesis 3:23', a distant cousin of 'Dance Music' and the most poppy song here, a tightly written song describing a return to an old home, wondering about the lives of the people living there now.
More accessible songs follow including 'Philippians 3:20-21' which features some lively percussion. From the centre to the end of the album though, comes a run of beautiful, highly emotive songs which carry real resonance. For example 'Genesis 30:3' is a heart-wide-open love song, sung softly by Darnielle over a piano, the slightest hint of acoustic guitar and at the very end, rolling drums and just a touch of strings. Its gorgeous and stops you in your tracks as you listen to Darnielle sing "I will do what you ask me to do/ because of how I feel about you".
There's just the slightest lift in mood next, with the jangly, acoustic 'Romans 10:9', the song here that most promotes faith, it has a lively chorus and lines like "a kind and loving God won't let my small ship run aground". From here follows another ballad similar to 'Genesis 30:3', sad but full of resolve with lines like "I won't be afraid of anything ever again" and then 'Matthew 25:21' a desperately stark account of a loved one's death from Cancer, heartbreaking and breathtaking...
...as is 'Deuteronomy 2:10', again sung over mournful piano, this time Darnielle's voice reduced at times to a tiny whisper as he sings "I am a flightless bird/ there'll be no more after me", distant drums roll again at the close, making such a slight song sound impossibly dramatic. 'Isaiah 45:23', more upbeat in terms of sound, explores the idea of a spirit being separate from the body as Darnielle sings "I won't get better...but someday I will be free/ cos I am not this body that imprisons me".
The album ends with 'Ezekiel 7 and the Permanent Efficacy of Grace', sung over a sad, timeless piano melody with a feeling of resolution and the refrain "drive til the rain stops/keep driving..". The album ends with the sound of a drum like a heartbeat, life continuing.
Darnielle has made an extraordinary record here. This is one of the saddest, most emotive, but ultimately life affirming albums I have heard in a long time. At the moment I don't want to listen to anything else.
9.8
['The Life Of The World To Come' is out on Monday on cd/2LP. Do yourself a favour and buy this record]
'The Life of The World To Come' is perhaps the most radical example of this to date. Each song is named after a Bible verse and Darnielle has described the record as "12 lessons I learned from the Bible". I have had a promo copy of this album for the last 10 days and I've listened to little else, I'm now awaiting the arrival of the double vinyl record with such excitement and anticipation that its hard to believe I already know these songs so well.
In terms of sound, TLOTWTC sits somewhere between 'The Sunset Tree' and 'Get Lonely', mainly quiet, sad songs which Darnielle sings in a soft voice, but impecably written and packing a huge emotional punch. The first thing to say is that you should not be put off if you are not a Christian, (I'm not), these songs do not preach, rather they tackle universal issues life, death, regret and love. All these you will find in the Bible, but also in your own life.
After a low key, sparse opening the album hits its stride with 'Psalms 40:2' as loud and passionate as anything from the last Mountain Goats album, the more upbeat 'Heretic Pride' and containing some classic Darnielle wordplay ("feel bad about the things we do/ but not really that bad"), it moves nicely into the jaunty 'Genesis 3:23', a distant cousin of 'Dance Music' and the most poppy song here, a tightly written song describing a return to an old home, wondering about the lives of the people living there now.
More accessible songs follow including 'Philippians 3:20-21' which features some lively percussion. From the centre to the end of the album though, comes a run of beautiful, highly emotive songs which carry real resonance. For example 'Genesis 30:3' is a heart-wide-open love song, sung softly by Darnielle over a piano, the slightest hint of acoustic guitar and at the very end, rolling drums and just a touch of strings. Its gorgeous and stops you in your tracks as you listen to Darnielle sing "I will do what you ask me to do/ because of how I feel about you".
There's just the slightest lift in mood next, with the jangly, acoustic 'Romans 10:9', the song here that most promotes faith, it has a lively chorus and lines like "a kind and loving God won't let my small ship run aground". From here follows another ballad similar to 'Genesis 30:3', sad but full of resolve with lines like "I won't be afraid of anything ever again" and then 'Matthew 25:21' a desperately stark account of a loved one's death from Cancer, heartbreaking and breathtaking...
...as is 'Deuteronomy 2:10', again sung over mournful piano, this time Darnielle's voice reduced at times to a tiny whisper as he sings "I am a flightless bird/ there'll be no more after me", distant drums roll again at the close, making such a slight song sound impossibly dramatic. 'Isaiah 45:23', more upbeat in terms of sound, explores the idea of a spirit being separate from the body as Darnielle sings "I won't get better...but someday I will be free/ cos I am not this body that imprisons me".
The album ends with 'Ezekiel 7 and the Permanent Efficacy of Grace', sung over a sad, timeless piano melody with a feeling of resolution and the refrain "drive til the rain stops/keep driving..". The album ends with the sound of a drum like a heartbeat, life continuing.
Darnielle has made an extraordinary record here. This is one of the saddest, most emotive, but ultimately life affirming albums I have heard in a long time. At the moment I don't want to listen to anything else.
9.8
['The Life Of The World To Come' is out on Monday on cd/2LP. Do yourself a favour and buy this record]
Friday, 25 September 2009
Monsters of Folk 'Monsters of Folk'
I am pretty overwhelmed with the amount of new releases I have to review at the moment! I am the proud owner of the new Mountain Goats album on promo and have been listening to that to try to get to know the songs before the UK shows in a couple of weeks. I also have the new Richard Hawley record to assess and am currently awaiting delivery in the next couple of days of the Twilight Sad, Hope Sandoval and Port O'Brien records...
'Monsters of Folk' is the hideous title of the new collaboration between M Ward, Conor Oberst, Jim James and Mike Mogis. Having previously toured together in some kind of Rolling Thunder Revue style, the four have now made a record together in some kind of Travelling Wilburys style.
The record is split pretty evenly into songs written and fronted by each of the artists and each plays to his strengths. Oberst's contributions are largely wordy, country songs of the type that worked well on his self-titled solo record a couple of years ago, Ward does his retro, smokey-ballads and fuzzy rockers and Jim James brings soul/country pastiches. James actually provides the highlight, in the record's most untypical song. 'Dear God' is a striking soul number, sounding modern and catchy.
There's not enough of this, elsewhere much is stodgy and staid. Oberst sound like he is going through the motions, providing mellow country tunes with little direction or effort. Worst of all is 'Man Named Truth', country rock by numbers and with bland lyrics. Ward's contributions are largely more successful, 'The Sandman, the Brakeman and Me' is undeniably lovely, 'Whole Lotta Losin' is cliched but lively at least and while 'Slow Down Jo' is lazy and languid, that is at least, apparently, the intention in this case.
The record's main problem is that over the course of an overly long sixteen tracks, the mood hardly ever changes from mid-tempo and middle of the road and the lyrical focus is on general, broad themes such as 'hitting the road...moving on..." and 'life and death', there's little in the way of interesting ideas and wordplay. No song sounds like it was begging to be written, instead much seems forced and directionless.
Also, it seems a terrible waste to have a record with three truly great singers and then have them hardly ever sing together. A few years ago on Jenny Lewis' 'Rabbit Fur Coat' LP, Ward, Lewis and Oberst sang 'Handle With Care' together, alternating verses and sharing the choruses. It sounded vibrant, exciting even and it shows what 'Monsters of Folk' could have been, with just a little more inspiration and invention.
As it is, there is plenty of pleasant, listenable music here, but it is not, I would imagine, a record you would feel the need to return to time and time again.
6.5
['Monsters of Folk' is out now on Rough Trade]
'Monsters of Folk' is the hideous title of the new collaboration between M Ward, Conor Oberst, Jim James and Mike Mogis. Having previously toured together in some kind of Rolling Thunder Revue style, the four have now made a record together in some kind of Travelling Wilburys style.
The record is split pretty evenly into songs written and fronted by each of the artists and each plays to his strengths. Oberst's contributions are largely wordy, country songs of the type that worked well on his self-titled solo record a couple of years ago, Ward does his retro, smokey-ballads and fuzzy rockers and Jim James brings soul/country pastiches. James actually provides the highlight, in the record's most untypical song. 'Dear God' is a striking soul number, sounding modern and catchy.
There's not enough of this, elsewhere much is stodgy and staid. Oberst sound like he is going through the motions, providing mellow country tunes with little direction or effort. Worst of all is 'Man Named Truth', country rock by numbers and with bland lyrics. Ward's contributions are largely more successful, 'The Sandman, the Brakeman and Me' is undeniably lovely, 'Whole Lotta Losin' is cliched but lively at least and while 'Slow Down Jo' is lazy and languid, that is at least, apparently, the intention in this case.
The record's main problem is that over the course of an overly long sixteen tracks, the mood hardly ever changes from mid-tempo and middle of the road and the lyrical focus is on general, broad themes such as 'hitting the road...moving on..." and 'life and death', there's little in the way of interesting ideas and wordplay. No song sounds like it was begging to be written, instead much seems forced and directionless.
Also, it seems a terrible waste to have a record with three truly great singers and then have them hardly ever sing together. A few years ago on Jenny Lewis' 'Rabbit Fur Coat' LP, Ward, Lewis and Oberst sang 'Handle With Care' together, alternating verses and sharing the choruses. It sounded vibrant, exciting even and it shows what 'Monsters of Folk' could have been, with just a little more inspiration and invention.
As it is, there is plenty of pleasant, listenable music here, but it is not, I would imagine, a record you would feel the need to return to time and time again.
6.5
['Monsters of Folk' is out now on Rough Trade]
Wednesday, 5 August 2009
Mountain Goats UK Tour Dates
Just received the marvellous news that the Mountain Goats return to the UK this Fall/Autumn, to play two shows...and even better news is that they are playing a nice venue in London this time (I'm not a fan of the ULU). Here are the two dates, not sure when they go on sale, they don't appear to be yet...
10 - QEH, London, England
11 - Ruby Lounge, Manchester, England
Both dates are solo acoustic...so no Peter Hughes unfortunately.
10 - QEH, London, England
11 - Ruby Lounge, Manchester, England
Both dates are solo acoustic...so no Peter Hughes unfortunately.
Wednesday, 29 July 2009
new Mountain Goats LP...
Whilst wading through some pretty dull new releases that I have to review, came the news that a new Mountain Goats LP will arrive this Autumn.
Thank the Lord for that. Quite literally in fact, because every tMG album has a theme and this one is religion. The record is called 'The Life of the World to Come' and each track is named after a bible verse. Darnielle describes the theme as "twelve hard lessons I learned from the Bible". Jesus.
Anyway, as per the current trend, there is a free mp3 of one of the tracks ('Genesis 3:23') on the Mountain Goats website and it sounds good. Upbeat, with a full band sound and a gentle vocal...think a bit of 'The Sunset Tree' and a bit of 'Get Lonely'.
Album is out on October 5th, but I strongly suspect that there is going to be some kind of pre-order now, get the digital album instantly deal with this one. Just a hunch.
Thank the Lord for that. Quite literally in fact, because every tMG album has a theme and this one is religion. The record is called 'The Life of the World to Come' and each track is named after a bible verse. Darnielle describes the theme as "twelve hard lessons I learned from the Bible". Jesus.
Anyway, as per the current trend, there is a free mp3 of one of the tracks ('Genesis 3:23') on the Mountain Goats website and it sounds good. Upbeat, with a full band sound and a gentle vocal...think a bit of 'The Sunset Tree' and a bit of 'Get Lonely'.
Album is out on October 5th, but I strongly suspect that there is going to be some kind of pre-order now, get the digital album instantly deal with this one. Just a hunch.
Tuesday, 16 December 2008
Top 10 Albums of the Year
here at last are the T&G top 10 records of the year....and after all the stuff written on here about American bands, the top 3 albums this year are from English, Scottish and Irish artists...
1- Tindersticks ‘The Hungry Saw’
What can I say about this album that I haven’t said already? A creative, vibrant record that is more than a match for any of their wonderful previous albums. In ‘Mother Dear’ it has the most atmospheric, tension filled ballad they have ever written and in ‘Boobar’, the most magical, Spector-ish pop song. Just fantastic. And album of the year.
2- The Twilight Sad ‘Here It Never Snowed, Afterwards It Did’
How do you top making one of the albums of 2007? If you’re the Twilight Sad, you make a mini-album featuring complete re-workings of several songs from that album. ‘Here It Never Snowed…’ took away much of the noise and the pace from the songs, stripping them down and highlighting James Graham’s amazing vocals. Both sounds work equally well and the band are now combining the two sounds at live shows. The album also featured a new song, plus a cover of Daniel Johnston’s ‘Some Things Last A Long Time’. The best new British band to emerge for a decade.
3- The Sleeping Years ‘We’re Becoming Islands, One By One’
Ex-Catchers singer/songwriter Dale Grundle returned in 2008 with this quietly triumphant set of songs about home, memories and heritage. It didn’t get a tenth of the attention it deserved but these are wonderful songs, held together by Grundle’s soothing voice. ‘Macosquin, Coleraine' is one of the songs of the year, a simple arrangement with acousic guitar and handclaps, I can’t stop playing it!
4- Fleet Foxes ‘Fleet Foxes’
A grower. Initially pleasant but unremarkable (the instantly catchy ‘White Winter Hymnal’ apart), the melodies creep up on you and you finding yourself singing them and then wondering what they are. Gorgeous harmonies mixed with old fashioned guitar sounds and of course Robin Pecknold is an amazing singer. How do they top this though?
5- Beck ‘Modern Guilt’
A 33 minute collection of short, sharp bursts of energy. This is a really exciting record that sounds great from start to finish. Highlight is ‘Chemtrails’ which is perhaps the single of the year and sounds amazing played loudly through headphones!
6- Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks ‘Real Emotional Trash’
Most pleasing post-Pavement album from Malkmus. Stunning guitar jams, especially on the title track, which is a complete tour-de-force.
7- The Mountain Goats ‘Heretic Pride’
Really consistent album from John Darnielle and more up-beat than previous offerings. ‘Lovecraft in Brooklyn’ and ‘Sax Rohmer’ are two of the best TMG rockers to date. As ever, lyrically supreme.
8- Jenny Lewis ‘Acid Tongue’
Beautifully produced with plenty of space for each instrument, this is a great old-fashioned sounding record with some gorgeous ballads. Highlight though is the thrilling duet with Elvis Costello.
9- The Dodos ‘Visitor’
Innovative sounds, great use of rhythm and simply some great sing-along songs.
10- American Music Club ‘The Golden Age’
New line-up, a lighter touch and a couple of bona-fide AMC classics (‘Sleeping Beauty’, ‘The Dance). A couple of filler tracks too though but this is still more gold from Eitzel.
1- Tindersticks ‘The Hungry Saw’
What can I say about this album that I haven’t said already? A creative, vibrant record that is more than a match for any of their wonderful previous albums. In ‘Mother Dear’ it has the most atmospheric, tension filled ballad they have ever written and in ‘Boobar’, the most magical, Spector-ish pop song. Just fantastic. And album of the year.
2- The Twilight Sad ‘Here It Never Snowed, Afterwards It Did’
How do you top making one of the albums of 2007? If you’re the Twilight Sad, you make a mini-album featuring complete re-workings of several songs from that album. ‘Here It Never Snowed…’ took away much of the noise and the pace from the songs, stripping them down and highlighting James Graham’s amazing vocals. Both sounds work equally well and the band are now combining the two sounds at live shows. The album also featured a new song, plus a cover of Daniel Johnston’s ‘Some Things Last A Long Time’. The best new British band to emerge for a decade.
3- The Sleeping Years ‘We’re Becoming Islands, One By One’
Ex-Catchers singer/songwriter Dale Grundle returned in 2008 with this quietly triumphant set of songs about home, memories and heritage. It didn’t get a tenth of the attention it deserved but these are wonderful songs, held together by Grundle’s soothing voice. ‘Macosquin, Coleraine' is one of the songs of the year, a simple arrangement with acousic guitar and handclaps, I can’t stop playing it!
4- Fleet Foxes ‘Fleet Foxes’
A grower. Initially pleasant but unremarkable (the instantly catchy ‘White Winter Hymnal’ apart), the melodies creep up on you and you finding yourself singing them and then wondering what they are. Gorgeous harmonies mixed with old fashioned guitar sounds and of course Robin Pecknold is an amazing singer. How do they top this though?
5- Beck ‘Modern Guilt’
A 33 minute collection of short, sharp bursts of energy. This is a really exciting record that sounds great from start to finish. Highlight is ‘Chemtrails’ which is perhaps the single of the year and sounds amazing played loudly through headphones!
6- Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks ‘Real Emotional Trash’
Most pleasing post-Pavement album from Malkmus. Stunning guitar jams, especially on the title track, which is a complete tour-de-force.
7- The Mountain Goats ‘Heretic Pride’
Really consistent album from John Darnielle and more up-beat than previous offerings. ‘Lovecraft in Brooklyn’ and ‘Sax Rohmer’ are two of the best TMG rockers to date. As ever, lyrically supreme.
8- Jenny Lewis ‘Acid Tongue’
Beautifully produced with plenty of space for each instrument, this is a great old-fashioned sounding record with some gorgeous ballads. Highlight though is the thrilling duet with Elvis Costello.
9- The Dodos ‘Visitor’
Innovative sounds, great use of rhythm and simply some great sing-along songs.
10- American Music Club ‘The Golden Age’
New line-up, a lighter touch and a couple of bona-fide AMC classics (‘Sleeping Beauty’, ‘The Dance). A couple of filler tracks too though but this is still more gold from Eitzel.
Friday, 7 November 2008
The T&G 11
TracksandGigs is preparing its 'Album of The Year' list. In advance of this, it has nominated eleven albums to form the 'album of the year' shortlist. Each of these records has given T&G an enormous amount of pleasure this year. The list, in alphabetical order, is...
American Music Club 'The Golden Age'
A few weak tracks here but many strong ones and it features one of Eitzel's most beautiful songs, the incredibly visual and moving 'Sleeping Beauty'
Beck 'Modern Guilt'
Short and sweet, his most cohesive record to date. An exciting, tremendously alive set of songs.
Fleet Foxes 'Fleet Foxes'
Deserving of all the hype. A delicious mix of country, soul, pop and folk. Gorgeous harmonies and a great Summer record.
Jenny Lewis 'Acid Tongue'
Unfairly slated by some, this is a luxurious, rewarding album to listen to. It is also a lovely recording with plenty of space allowed and each instrument given room to breathe.
Micah P Hinson 'Red Empire..'
A warm and inviting country-noir album that is all the better for Hinson finally sounding happy and content.
Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks 'Real Emotional Trash'
Just about his best since Pavement. A guitar masterclass and some great songs too.
The Dodos 'Visitor'
Sweet ballads, innovative percussion and great songs. This came from nowhere but will stand the test of time.
The Mountain Goats 'Heretic Pride'
An album of horror, monsters, death and fun from John Darnielle. Some of his best 'loud' songs for years. A really consistent album too.
The Sleeping Years 'We're Becoming Islands, One By One'
Tindersticks 'The Hungry Saw'
Unconcerned with the past, this is a fresh, vibrant piece of music that has formed the centre-piece of the band's shows this year. It has left the band rejuvinated and open to all possibilities for the future. A near-perfect 45 minutes.
Full list soon.
American Music Club 'The Golden Age'
A few weak tracks here but many strong ones and it features one of Eitzel's most beautiful songs, the incredibly visual and moving 'Sleeping Beauty'
Beck 'Modern Guilt'
Short and sweet, his most cohesive record to date. An exciting, tremendously alive set of songs.
Fleet Foxes 'Fleet Foxes'
Deserving of all the hype. A delicious mix of country, soul, pop and folk. Gorgeous harmonies and a great Summer record.
Jenny Lewis 'Acid Tongue'
Unfairly slated by some, this is a luxurious, rewarding album to listen to. It is also a lovely recording with plenty of space allowed and each instrument given room to breathe.
Micah P Hinson 'Red Empire..'
A warm and inviting country-noir album that is all the better for Hinson finally sounding happy and content.
Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks 'Real Emotional Trash'
Just about his best since Pavement. A guitar masterclass and some great songs too.
The Dodos 'Visitor'
Sweet ballads, innovative percussion and great songs. This came from nowhere but will stand the test of time.
The Mountain Goats 'Heretic Pride'
An album of horror, monsters, death and fun from John Darnielle. Some of his best 'loud' songs for years. A really consistent album too.
The Sleeping Years 'We're Becoming Islands, One By One'
Quietly beautiful folk/pop songs from ex-Catchers frontman Dale Grundle.
The Twilight Sad 'Here It Never Snowed...'
Atmospheric mini-album with the band playing in a completely different style from their debut LP. Including a stunning Daniel Johnston cover.
Tindersticks 'The Hungry Saw'
Unconcerned with the past, this is a fresh, vibrant piece of music that has formed the centre-piece of the band's shows this year. It has left the band rejuvinated and open to all possibilities for the future. A near-perfect 45 minutes.
Full list soon.
Thursday, 16 October 2008
The Mountain Goats 'Satanic Messiah'
Nice to see bands getting inventive with the ways they are releasing music. Plenty of artists now have 'pre-order and get a download now' type deals, Matador Records are doing a completely awesome pre-ordering package for the Pavement 'Brighten The Corners' re-issue (which T&G will be writing extensively about very soon) and now John Darnielle and The Mountain Goats have released a limited EP which you can download now at http://satanic messiah.com . Price? No, none. Pay what you like or pay nothing if you are very mean, considering the record wasn't free to make. The site has a paypal and google checkout link and you can choose what you pay, radiohead style. Good stuff. The EP is also out on limited double 7" which currrently seems only to be available at shows in the U.S but will probably be on ebay soon for £sillymoney.
The music itself is nice. Pretty much exclusively acoustic guitar, piano and voice. The songs sound more 'Get Lonely' than 'Heretic Pride', the storytelling in the lyrics is excellent and 'Gojam Province 1968' is the highlight; impossibly sad and pretty. Its also notable for a song which, even for a band who have some excellent song-titles, has to have the coolest name yet.....'Wizard Buys A Hat'!
This is a worthy addition to TMG's mighty cannon and is well worth the standard price of an EP. Would like to see the vinyl available on this side of the Atlantic though...so much nicer than a folder of mp3s!
7.666
['Satanic Messiah' is out now to download at satanicmessiah.com . check the mountain goats website for details of physical formats]
The music itself is nice. Pretty much exclusively acoustic guitar, piano and voice. The songs sound more 'Get Lonely' than 'Heretic Pride', the storytelling in the lyrics is excellent and 'Gojam Province 1968' is the highlight; impossibly sad and pretty. Its also notable for a song which, even for a band who have some excellent song-titles, has to have the coolest name yet.....'Wizard Buys A Hat'!
This is a worthy addition to TMG's mighty cannon and is well worth the standard price of an EP. Would like to see the vinyl available on this side of the Atlantic though...so much nicer than a folder of mp3s!
7.666
['Satanic Messiah' is out now to download at satanicmessiah.com . check the mountain goats website for details of physical formats]
Monday, 8 September 2008
two new Mountain Goats EPs..
John Darnielle has been busy. Not content with playing End of The Road this coming weekend and London ULU next week, he has recorded two brand new EPs!
The first, entitled 'Satanic Messiah', is a four track vinyl only affair with the following tracklisting...
A1 Satanic Messiah
A2 Wizard Buys a Hat
B1 Sarcofago Live
B2 Gojam Province
Its apparently a low-key solo recording rather than a full band sound. More 'Get Lonely' than 'Heretic Pride' by all accounts. Out soon.
The second EP is a recording with Kaki King, who added drums, glockenspiel and vocals to the songs. This is likely to be out in October and has the following track listing...
A1 Black Pear Tree
A2 Mosquito Repellent
A3 Bring our Curses Home
B1 Supergenesis
B2 Roger Patterson Van
B3 Thank You Mario but our Princess Is in Another Castle
Vinyl only too. The wonderfully named final track, which is a lovely piano ballad with some nice harmony vocals, can be listened to right here...
http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/download/145282-premiere-the-mountain-goats-and-kaki-king-thank-you-mario-but-our-princess
Thats all from me for today. I need to get ready for the best week of gigs I can remember for some time. Reviews....next weeekend.
The first, entitled 'Satanic Messiah', is a four track vinyl only affair with the following tracklisting...
A1 Satanic Messiah
A2 Wizard Buys a Hat
B1 Sarcofago Live
B2 Gojam Province
Its apparently a low-key solo recording rather than a full band sound. More 'Get Lonely' than 'Heretic Pride' by all accounts. Out soon.
The second EP is a recording with Kaki King, who added drums, glockenspiel and vocals to the songs. This is likely to be out in October and has the following track listing...
A1 Black Pear Tree
A2 Mosquito Repellent
A3 Bring our Curses Home
B1 Supergenesis
B2 Roger Patterson Van
B3 Thank You Mario but our Princess Is in Another Castle
Vinyl only too. The wonderfully named final track, which is a lovely piano ballad with some nice harmony vocals, can be listened to right here...
http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/download/145282-premiere-the-mountain-goats-and-kaki-king-thank-you-mario-but-our-princess
Thats all from me for today. I need to get ready for the best week of gigs I can remember for some time. Reviews....next weeekend.
Monday, 26 May 2008
The Mountain Goats- Daytrotter Session
As an attempt to spread happiness and joy, I hereby declare that the new Mountain Goats Daytrotter session is available to listen to and to download here:
http://www.daytrotter.com/article/1291/the-mountain-goats-2
It is an extremely lovely session. 'San Bernardino', the most tender song on 'Heretic Pride' features, as do new versions of 'There Will Be No Divorce' and the fascinating 'Raja Evocative' from Ghana. The standout though is '02-75', a previously unreleased song, and a love song Darnielle wrote for his then-girlfriend, now-wife. It is beautiful indeed and this is a wonderful, warm session.
Listen now. Smile.
http://www.daytrotter.com/article/1291/the-mountain-goats-2
It is an extremely lovely session. 'San Bernardino', the most tender song on 'Heretic Pride' features, as do new versions of 'There Will Be No Divorce' and the fascinating 'Raja Evocative' from Ghana. The standout though is '02-75', a previously unreleased song, and a love song Darnielle wrote for his then-girlfriend, now-wife. It is beautiful indeed and this is a wonderful, warm session.
Listen now. Smile.
Thursday, 28 February 2008
Kimya Dawson
Way too much has been going on for me to find the time to write in here, so I thought I would do a 'current listening' type post.
Am still playing the Mountain Goats album extremely frequently, its still sounding amazing. Going to be album of the year I reckon and its only February. I've also been listening to something else extremely exciting, but its not out for ages yet so I will say no more at this stage.
When I haven't been listening to those two records I've been mostly enjoying the Juno soundtrack and especially the Kimya Dawson songs. Don't know how the work of Ms Dawson has escaped my attention for so long. I loved the songs in the film and love them even more on record. Great lyrics. 'Loose Lips' is my favourite, lovely melody and its impossible not to sing along. Have been trying to get hold of the LP from which it comes but it seems to be out of print pending a re-release in a couple of weeks. Record companies aren't stupid I guess.
Anyway. I'll review the new Stephen Malkmus LP in a couple of days.
Am still playing the Mountain Goats album extremely frequently, its still sounding amazing. Going to be album of the year I reckon and its only February. I've also been listening to something else extremely exciting, but its not out for ages yet so I will say no more at this stage.
When I haven't been listening to those two records I've been mostly enjoying the Juno soundtrack and especially the Kimya Dawson songs. Don't know how the work of Ms Dawson has escaped my attention for so long. I loved the songs in the film and love them even more on record. Great lyrics. 'Loose Lips' is my favourite, lovely melody and its impossible not to sing along. Have been trying to get hold of the LP from which it comes but it seems to be out of print pending a re-release in a couple of weeks. Record companies aren't stupid I guess.
Anyway. I'll review the new Stephen Malkmus LP in a couple of days.
Monday, 18 February 2008
The Mountain Goats- Heretic Pride
The Mountain Goats played an amazing gig at Union Chapel last December to put in a late bid for 'gig of the year' and now they are off to a flyer with an early contender for 'album of the year'.
'Heretic Pride' sees a return to the blood, guts and passion of the early Mountain Goats albums and is a slight move away from the more subdued, albeit beautiful, 'The Sunset Tree' (2005) and 'Get Lonely' (2006). Unusually for recent TMG efforts, there is no main theme as such, although many of the songs appear to focus on monsters, but there is a consistant feeling of impending doom, disaster and of people 'on the edge' in various different ways.
As a statement of intent, opener 'Sax Rohmer #1' is stunning. The most catchy song Darnielle has written since 'No Children', its pulsating rhythm and shout-along chorus take your breath away, while the hook line ("I am coming home to you/ with my own blood in my mouth") demonstrates that Darnielle's characters are not going down without a fight this time round. 'San Bernardino', which follows, is beautiful. With a lush string arrangement and soft vocals, Darnielle tells the story of two lovers who have stayed together against the odds, and the birth of their new son.
It is tempting to continue like this and make this a track by track review because almost every song is a highlight. 'Heretic Pride' and 'In The Craters On The Moon' are similar to 'Sax Rohmer', loud and fast with catchy choruses and characters on the edge. 'Tianchi Lake', the most obviously monster-themed song, is a gorgeous mix of Darnielle's own 'Idylls of the King' and the sadness of 'Puff The Magic Dragon'. 'Autoclave' is an industrial sounding delight with a Smiths-esque lyric ("No-one in her right mind/ could make her home my home/ my heart's an autoclave").
All this and I have yet to mention arguably the album's two highlights. 'Lovecraft In Brooklyn' is a furious, paranoid burst of energy and drama. Darnielle spits out so many words per verse, it is hard to keep up and he ignores usual songwriting rules to come up with gems like "woke up afraid of my own shadow/ like genuinely afraid", all the while drums pound and guitars screech. It is hard to know how music can get more thrilling. Closing track 'Michael Myers Resplendent', which like many lyrics here had me going to Wikipedia, is a wistful, calm finish to the album but with lyrics that reflect on the destruction and danger of the previous songs ("when the house goes up in flames/ nobody emerges triumphantly from it").
I've seen some seriously bad reviews of this album. OK, I'm sure they are better written than mine, because after all I'm not a music journalist, but you think- have these people listened to the record? I will mention NME and Word Magazine for publishing trite reviews compiled mainly, it would seem, from facts from a promo sheet. No attempt to describe the heart or the passion in evidence here, because for me this is a record full of heart.
Honestly, I've been listening to this album so much and its hard to know how he could have made it any better. I guess most people will know by now if they like the sound of John Darnielle's voice and like listening to his songs and I doubt 'Heretic Pride' will change that for many people but he has made a record that is extremely literate, visual and full of passion and guts. Not many people have done that so triumphantly anytime recently.
This is really amazing songwriting.
9.9
'Heretic Pride' sees a return to the blood, guts and passion of the early Mountain Goats albums and is a slight move away from the more subdued, albeit beautiful, 'The Sunset Tree' (2005) and 'Get Lonely' (2006). Unusually for recent TMG efforts, there is no main theme as such, although many of the songs appear to focus on monsters, but there is a consistant feeling of impending doom, disaster and of people 'on the edge' in various different ways.
As a statement of intent, opener 'Sax Rohmer #1' is stunning. The most catchy song Darnielle has written since 'No Children', its pulsating rhythm and shout-along chorus take your breath away, while the hook line ("I am coming home to you/ with my own blood in my mouth") demonstrates that Darnielle's characters are not going down without a fight this time round. 'San Bernardino', which follows, is beautiful. With a lush string arrangement and soft vocals, Darnielle tells the story of two lovers who have stayed together against the odds, and the birth of their new son.
It is tempting to continue like this and make this a track by track review because almost every song is a highlight. 'Heretic Pride' and 'In The Craters On The Moon' are similar to 'Sax Rohmer', loud and fast with catchy choruses and characters on the edge. 'Tianchi Lake', the most obviously monster-themed song, is a gorgeous mix of Darnielle's own 'Idylls of the King' and the sadness of 'Puff The Magic Dragon'. 'Autoclave' is an industrial sounding delight with a Smiths-esque lyric ("No-one in her right mind/ could make her home my home/ my heart's an autoclave").
All this and I have yet to mention arguably the album's two highlights. 'Lovecraft In Brooklyn' is a furious, paranoid burst of energy and drama. Darnielle spits out so many words per verse, it is hard to keep up and he ignores usual songwriting rules to come up with gems like "woke up afraid of my own shadow/ like genuinely afraid", all the while drums pound and guitars screech. It is hard to know how music can get more thrilling. Closing track 'Michael Myers Resplendent', which like many lyrics here had me going to Wikipedia, is a wistful, calm finish to the album but with lyrics that reflect on the destruction and danger of the previous songs ("when the house goes up in flames/ nobody emerges triumphantly from it").
I've seen some seriously bad reviews of this album. OK, I'm sure they are better written than mine, because after all I'm not a music journalist, but you think- have these people listened to the record? I will mention NME and Word Magazine for publishing trite reviews compiled mainly, it would seem, from facts from a promo sheet. No attempt to describe the heart or the passion in evidence here, because for me this is a record full of heart.
Honestly, I've been listening to this album so much and its hard to know how he could have made it any better. I guess most people will know by now if they like the sound of John Darnielle's voice and like listening to his songs and I doubt 'Heretic Pride' will change that for many people but he has made a record that is extremely literate, visual and full of passion and guts. Not many people have done that so triumphantly anytime recently.
This is really amazing songwriting.
9.9
Sunday, 27 January 2008
p.s
i forgot to mention 'Autoclave' which is maybe the most poppy and at the same time, inventive thing John has ever recorded.
you're going to love this record Mountain Goats fans!
you're going to love this record Mountain Goats fans!
The Mountain Goats - Heretic Blood
After reading some threads on the Mountain Goats forum, I decided to delay writing my review of the new album until nearer to the release date, but since receiving the promo on Wednesday I've been listening to little else and couldn't resist at least making a few observations.
Firstly, it is way different to 'Get Lonely'. Whereas that record was beautiful, subtle and understated, this one is powerful, angry and exciting. The last few TMG records have all focussed on a specific theme, here it is harder to pinpoint but there seems to be a lot of lyrics about monsters, impending doom and destruction and war, an awful lot of imagery and metaphors too.
The band sound really tight, the drums sound great, the guitars are loud and there's a lot of cello too. There are some really fast songs with the 'shouty' vocal that we haven't heard from John in a while mixed with some slower songs including a really beautiful one called 'Tianchi Lake' which reminds me a lot of 'Idylls of the King' from 'Tallahassee'.
Of the faster songs, 'Sax Rohmer #1' is a highlight with it's wonderful "I am coming home to you/ with my own blood in my mouth" hook, but possibly the best song here is the incredible 'Lovecraft in Brooklyn' which has to be heard to be believed and is now my joint favourite song of the year along with AMC's 'The Sleeping Beauty'.
This may be my favourite Mountain Goats album. It's a blast, it's enjoyable and it's beautiful. It mixes all the elements of my favourite TMG records and brings them all together into one fully formed album. I love it.
Full review coming in Feb. and yes, I shall be buying the full 4AD cd (and probably LP) too as soon as it is released.
Firstly, it is way different to 'Get Lonely'. Whereas that record was beautiful, subtle and understated, this one is powerful, angry and exciting. The last few TMG records have all focussed on a specific theme, here it is harder to pinpoint but there seems to be a lot of lyrics about monsters, impending doom and destruction and war, an awful lot of imagery and metaphors too.
The band sound really tight, the drums sound great, the guitars are loud and there's a lot of cello too. There are some really fast songs with the 'shouty' vocal that we haven't heard from John in a while mixed with some slower songs including a really beautiful one called 'Tianchi Lake' which reminds me a lot of 'Idylls of the King' from 'Tallahassee'.
Of the faster songs, 'Sax Rohmer #1' is a highlight with it's wonderful "I am coming home to you/ with my own blood in my mouth" hook, but possibly the best song here is the incredible 'Lovecraft in Brooklyn' which has to be heard to be believed and is now my joint favourite song of the year along with AMC's 'The Sleeping Beauty'.
This may be my favourite Mountain Goats album. It's a blast, it's enjoyable and it's beautiful. It mixes all the elements of my favourite TMG records and brings them all together into one fully formed album. I love it.
Full review coming in Feb. and yes, I shall be buying the full 4AD cd (and probably LP) too as soon as it is released.
Sunday, 9 December 2007
The Mountain Goats - Union Chapel 8th December 2007
So, I finally got to see The Mountain Goats play live. Last night The Union Chapel played host to the Pineapple Folk Festival, featuring TMG, Micah P Hinson, Emmy The Great and Alisdair Roberts. With all due respect to the other artists though (and Emmy The Great played a very nice, if short, set) this, for me, was about finally seeing John Darnielle and Peter Hughes play their amazing songs live.
The Union Chapel is a beautiful venue, easily my favourite in London. The acoustics are as clear as you'll find anywhere and in between sets there is some lovely scenary to look at. The Goats arrived on stage at 8.30, wearing some smart suits which according to my girlfriend made Peter Hughes look like Nathan Petrelli from Heroes. John played acoustic guitar and sang and Peter played bass.
They opened with 'Wild Sage' from last year's 'Get Lonely' LP, John singing with the hushed whisper/gasp in evidence throughout that album. As the set progressed we were treated to some real favourites including 'Dance Music', 'Jenny' and 'This Year'. The atmosphere was fantastic, the auidence were so enthusiastic and John seemed really happy and looked to be enjoying himself immensely.. One of the highlights was him moving away from the microphone during 'Maybe Sprout Wings' to sing unamplified, the Church was so silent that you could hear him clearly and the effect was spine-tingling.
For the closing song of the main set they played 'Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton', yes, complete with the 'Hail Satan' singalong ending and were joined on stage by Eddie Argos from Art Brut. The only complaint I have was that the set wasn't longer, but it was great that a) John said they would be back in 2008 and b) the title track of the new LP 'Heretic Pride' was played and was absolutely brilliant...very lively and upbeat too.
This was a wonderful night, one of the best sets I have seen and I hope John enjoyed it as much as us fans did.
Full review of the Pineapple Folk night later in the week, but for now, here is the TMG setlist...
Wild Sage
Tollund Man
The Recognition Scene
You or Your Memory
Cobscook Bay
Love Love Love
Heretic Pride
Tulsa Imperative
Jenny
Dance Music
Maybe Sprout Wings
This Year
The Best Ever Death Metal band in Denton (with Eddie Argos from Art Brut)
Encore: Houseguest
The Union Chapel is a beautiful venue, easily my favourite in London. The acoustics are as clear as you'll find anywhere and in between sets there is some lovely scenary to look at. The Goats arrived on stage at 8.30, wearing some smart suits which according to my girlfriend made Peter Hughes look like Nathan Petrelli from Heroes. John played acoustic guitar and sang and Peter played bass.
They opened with 'Wild Sage' from last year's 'Get Lonely' LP, John singing with the hushed whisper/gasp in evidence throughout that album. As the set progressed we were treated to some real favourites including 'Dance Music', 'Jenny' and 'This Year'. The atmosphere was fantastic, the auidence were so enthusiastic and John seemed really happy and looked to be enjoying himself immensely.. One of the highlights was him moving away from the microphone during 'Maybe Sprout Wings' to sing unamplified, the Church was so silent that you could hear him clearly and the effect was spine-tingling.
For the closing song of the main set they played 'Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton', yes, complete with the 'Hail Satan' singalong ending and were joined on stage by Eddie Argos from Art Brut. The only complaint I have was that the set wasn't longer, but it was great that a) John said they would be back in 2008 and b) the title track of the new LP 'Heretic Pride' was played and was absolutely brilliant...very lively and upbeat too.
This was a wonderful night, one of the best sets I have seen and I hope John enjoyed it as much as us fans did.
Full review of the Pineapple Folk night later in the week, but for now, here is the TMG setlist...
Wild Sage
Tollund Man
The Recognition Scene
You or Your Memory
Cobscook Bay
Love Love Love
Heretic Pride
Tulsa Imperative
Jenny
Dance Music
Maybe Sprout Wings
This Year
The Best Ever Death Metal band in Denton (with Eddie Argos from Art Brut)
Encore: Houseguest
Wednesday, 31 October 2007
Pineapple Folk Yuletide Gathering
Grrrrrr. If this was a blog about work, you would probably see the steam rising from your monitor everytime you point your browser at Tracks and Gigs. Am I having a bad week? Yes. But, this isn't a blog about work so I shall say no more.
Anyway, there is life and there are great upcoming gigs. Recommending a forthcoming gig is a bad idea really. As anyone who has ever seen Cat Power live will know, anything can happen at a gig. But still, all things being equal the wonderfully named Pineapple Folk Yuletide Gathering will be an amazing night.
It takes place at Union Chapel in Islington on 8th December (with additional nights in Glasgow and Manchester. Check local listings for details). Union Chapel is easily my favourite venue. Still a working church, it is such a beautiful place to see a concert and I've seen some great gigs there over the years.....Smog, Low, Iron and Wine and Willard Grant Conspiracy all spring to mind.
The line up for the PFYG is simply superb.
Opening up will be Alasdair Roberts, the Scottish singer and guitarist who plays some lovely traditional folk songs. I have yet to see him live and can't imagine a better place than the Chapel to finally hear him play.
There will also be an hour long set from The Mountain Goats (see the post from last week for more on them), which I am tremendously excited about, especially as they will most likely be playing some songs from their forthcoming new album 'Heretic Pride'.
Headlining will be Micah P Hinson. Micah is a singer-songwriter from Memphis who has led a colourful live and produced two stunning albums of country noir. 2004's 'Gospel of Progress' album recorded with the assistance of the Earlies was a stunning debut. I saw him play live twice that year, a wonderful show at The Borderline (which incidentally was the first gig I ever attended with my girlfriend) and a night at The Union Chapel supporting Iron and Wine. I have yet to see him play a full band show though and have heard these are awesome, so if anyone from Pineapple Folk is reading, will this be an acoustic or electric show??
Anyway, Micah returned last year with 'The Opera Circuit', another collection of gorgeous country, rock and folk songs. Looking forward to seeing him play again.
If none of this is enough to convince you, there will also be a 'Special Guest' and there will be roast chesnuts, mulled wine and other festive treats on offer!
Tickets are on sale now from wegottickets.com
a review of the night will appear here on 10th December.
Anyway, there is life and there are great upcoming gigs. Recommending a forthcoming gig is a bad idea really. As anyone who has ever seen Cat Power live will know, anything can happen at a gig. But still, all things being equal the wonderfully named Pineapple Folk Yuletide Gathering will be an amazing night.
It takes place at Union Chapel in Islington on 8th December (with additional nights in Glasgow and Manchester. Check local listings for details). Union Chapel is easily my favourite venue. Still a working church, it is such a beautiful place to see a concert and I've seen some great gigs there over the years.....Smog, Low, Iron and Wine and Willard Grant Conspiracy all spring to mind.
The line up for the PFYG is simply superb.
Opening up will be Alasdair Roberts, the Scottish singer and guitarist who plays some lovely traditional folk songs. I have yet to see him live and can't imagine a better place than the Chapel to finally hear him play.
There will also be an hour long set from The Mountain Goats (see the post from last week for more on them), which I am tremendously excited about, especially as they will most likely be playing some songs from their forthcoming new album 'Heretic Pride'.
Headlining will be Micah P Hinson. Micah is a singer-songwriter from Memphis who has led a colourful live and produced two stunning albums of country noir. 2004's 'Gospel of Progress' album recorded with the assistance of the Earlies was a stunning debut. I saw him play live twice that year, a wonderful show at The Borderline (which incidentally was the first gig I ever attended with my girlfriend) and a night at The Union Chapel supporting Iron and Wine. I have yet to see him play a full band show though and have heard these are awesome, so if anyone from Pineapple Folk is reading, will this be an acoustic or electric show??
Anyway, Micah returned last year with 'The Opera Circuit', another collection of gorgeous country, rock and folk songs. Looking forward to seeing him play again.
If none of this is enough to convince you, there will also be a 'Special Guest' and there will be roast chesnuts, mulled wine and other festive treats on offer!
Tickets are on sale now from wegottickets.com
a review of the night will appear here on 10th December.
Thursday, 25 October 2007
The Mountain Goats
The fantastic news that The Mountain Goats are coming to the UK in December has inspired me to write something about them, despite the fact that the new album isn't out til next year.
The Mountain Goats is essentially U.S singer-songwriter John Darnielle and assorted friends and colleagues, mainly Peter Hughes and Franklin Bruno. John has been making music under the TMG moniker since 1991 and all albums up to 2002 were recorded in a lo-fi , boombox style which consisted of John strumming an acoustic guitar whilst singing/shouting his lyrics over the top. These early albums make for incredibly intimate recordings but would be largely useless were it not for the fact that John is one of the best lyricists and storytellers I have ever heard.
TMG first came to my attention in early 2003. My friend Jason recommended them to me and I purchased 'Tallahasse' in HMV Oxford Street during a pre-gig (Smog at the Union Chapel) spending session. Playing it the next day I immediately loved it. I knew nothing then of John's lo-fi history, but this was a beautiful album presenting the story of a married couple on the verge of divorce. The songs generally mixed pretty acoustic melodies such as 'Idylls of the King' with blazing, loud expressions of anger such as 'See America Right' and 'Oceanographers Choice'. It made for a heady mix and is still a really exciting listen. It also contains the magnificent 'No Children' which contains fantasic lyrics like
"I hope I cut myself shaving tomorrow
I hope it bleeds all day long
Our friends say it's darkest before the sun rises
We're pretty sure they're all wrong
I hope it stays dark forever
I hope the worst isn't over
And I hope you blink before I do
Yeah I hope I never get sober"
It has to be one of the most sing-a-long-able songs ever! Anyway, 'Tallahasse' got me completely hooked on TMG (9.0).
After spending some time buying as many of the lo-fi albums as I could find and afford, and coming to the conclusion that 'All Hail West Texas' (8.9) was the best, I didn't have too long to wait for the next album as 'We Shall All Be Healed' arrived in early 2004. This was billed as John's first ever autobiographical album and contained songs about his teenage years. The Mountain Goats website declared "All of the songs on We Shall All Be Healed are based on people John used to know. Most of them are probably dead or in jail by now." The main themes of the album were motorcycles and drugs. To my ears it wasn't as amazing as 'Tallahasse' and had a few too many forgetable songs. It had some great songs too though, such as the gorgeous 'Your Belgian Things' but I don't find myself playing this much (8.2).
2005 brought the release of 'The Sunset Tree', another autobiographical album concerning John's youth but this time focussing on domestic violence and John's relationship with his stepfather. This is an absolutely stunning album with both poignant and escapist lyrics. The first five tracks of the record make for an unbelievably enthralling opening and you will be singing 'This Year' ("I am going to make it through this year/ If it kills me") to yourself after a couple of plays. The album ends with news of his stepfather's death on 'Pale Green Things' a beautiful, quiet finale. This is a superb record. Two years after its release I still play it regularly and if you are new to TMG, this is probably the album to start with. (9.8).
Last year saw the release of 'Get Lonely' and I'll post here a review of this album that I wrote at the time...
The Mountain Goats ‘Get Lonely’
4AD
The Mountain Goats, essentially singer-songwriter John Darnielle and assorted friends, built up a solid fan base on the back of their early lo-fi releases recorded directly onto cassette player. The albums featured Darnielle’s nasal, shouty vocals over violently strummed acoustic guitar and showed him to be a wonderful storyteller and lyricist. Since signing to 4AD in 2002 the Goats have discovered recording studios and production and have made a series of polished albums all focussed on a particular theme.
Last year’s ‘The Sunset Tree’ was an extraordinarily powerful album about Darnielle’s childhood experiences with a violent stepfather and was probably his finest work yet. This time he has written a set of songs about the end of a long term relationship and there are marked differences from his previous records.
The shouty vocals have gone, to be replaced by a hushed whisper and quieter, slower singing voice, the music is lush, all acoustic guitars, piano and strings and the songs are some of the saddest you’ve ever heard. The lyrics are incredible studies in loneliness and desolation. Unlike other break-up albums, there is no anger or bitterness, the album simply describes the character’s struggles to get through each day. There are only two breaks in the sombre musical tone, ‘Half Dead’ uses The Smiths’ trick of coupling incredibly painful lyrics with a jaunty melody and could well get radio play, while ‘If You See Light’ is an incredible two minute blast of paranoia where the character hides from neighbours and friends during an attack of panic (“when the villagers come to my door/ I will breathe shallow breaths from high up in my stomach”).
Elsewhere the songs paint a portrait of sadness and loneliness but the album is never depressing. It may take a few listens for the melodies to properly form, but when they do this is a superbly polished album. With acoustic balladry ever more popular, Darnielle may win new fans with this collection of acoustic songs that are a million times more literate than those in the charts at the moment. (9.5)
I've never managed to see John play live, so I'm really looking forward to the London show in December, but if you've never heard of TMG or bought any of their music, I hope this post may inspire you to check them out.
The Mountain Goats is essentially U.S singer-songwriter John Darnielle and assorted friends and colleagues, mainly Peter Hughes and Franklin Bruno. John has been making music under the TMG moniker since 1991 and all albums up to 2002 were recorded in a lo-fi , boombox style which consisted of John strumming an acoustic guitar whilst singing/shouting his lyrics over the top. These early albums make for incredibly intimate recordings but would be largely useless were it not for the fact that John is one of the best lyricists and storytellers I have ever heard.
TMG first came to my attention in early 2003. My friend Jason recommended them to me and I purchased 'Tallahasse' in HMV Oxford Street during a pre-gig (Smog at the Union Chapel) spending session. Playing it the next day I immediately loved it. I knew nothing then of John's lo-fi history, but this was a beautiful album presenting the story of a married couple on the verge of divorce. The songs generally mixed pretty acoustic melodies such as 'Idylls of the King' with blazing, loud expressions of anger such as 'See America Right' and 'Oceanographers Choice'. It made for a heady mix and is still a really exciting listen. It also contains the magnificent 'No Children' which contains fantasic lyrics like
"I hope I cut myself shaving tomorrow
I hope it bleeds all day long
Our friends say it's darkest before the sun rises
We're pretty sure they're all wrong
I hope it stays dark forever
I hope the worst isn't over
And I hope you blink before I do
Yeah I hope I never get sober"
It has to be one of the most sing-a-long-able songs ever! Anyway, 'Tallahasse' got me completely hooked on TMG (9.0).
After spending some time buying as many of the lo-fi albums as I could find and afford, and coming to the conclusion that 'All Hail West Texas' (8.9) was the best, I didn't have too long to wait for the next album as 'We Shall All Be Healed' arrived in early 2004. This was billed as John's first ever autobiographical album and contained songs about his teenage years. The Mountain Goats website declared "All of the songs on We Shall All Be Healed are based on people John used to know. Most of them are probably dead or in jail by now." The main themes of the album were motorcycles and drugs. To my ears it wasn't as amazing as 'Tallahasse' and had a few too many forgetable songs. It had some great songs too though, such as the gorgeous 'Your Belgian Things' but I don't find myself playing this much (8.2).
2005 brought the release of 'The Sunset Tree', another autobiographical album concerning John's youth but this time focussing on domestic violence and John's relationship with his stepfather. This is an absolutely stunning album with both poignant and escapist lyrics. The first five tracks of the record make for an unbelievably enthralling opening and you will be singing 'This Year' ("I am going to make it through this year/ If it kills me") to yourself after a couple of plays. The album ends with news of his stepfather's death on 'Pale Green Things' a beautiful, quiet finale. This is a superb record. Two years after its release I still play it regularly and if you are new to TMG, this is probably the album to start with. (9.8).
Last year saw the release of 'Get Lonely' and I'll post here a review of this album that I wrote at the time...
The Mountain Goats ‘Get Lonely’
4AD
The Mountain Goats, essentially singer-songwriter John Darnielle and assorted friends, built up a solid fan base on the back of their early lo-fi releases recorded directly onto cassette player. The albums featured Darnielle’s nasal, shouty vocals over violently strummed acoustic guitar and showed him to be a wonderful storyteller and lyricist. Since signing to 4AD in 2002 the Goats have discovered recording studios and production and have made a series of polished albums all focussed on a particular theme.
Last year’s ‘The Sunset Tree’ was an extraordinarily powerful album about Darnielle’s childhood experiences with a violent stepfather and was probably his finest work yet. This time he has written a set of songs about the end of a long term relationship and there are marked differences from his previous records.
The shouty vocals have gone, to be replaced by a hushed whisper and quieter, slower singing voice, the music is lush, all acoustic guitars, piano and strings and the songs are some of the saddest you’ve ever heard. The lyrics are incredible studies in loneliness and desolation. Unlike other break-up albums, there is no anger or bitterness, the album simply describes the character’s struggles to get through each day. There are only two breaks in the sombre musical tone, ‘Half Dead’ uses The Smiths’ trick of coupling incredibly painful lyrics with a jaunty melody and could well get radio play, while ‘If You See Light’ is an incredible two minute blast of paranoia where the character hides from neighbours and friends during an attack of panic (“when the villagers come to my door/ I will breathe shallow breaths from high up in my stomach”).
Elsewhere the songs paint a portrait of sadness and loneliness but the album is never depressing. It may take a few listens for the melodies to properly form, but when they do this is a superbly polished album. With acoustic balladry ever more popular, Darnielle may win new fans with this collection of acoustic songs that are a million times more literate than those in the charts at the moment. (9.5)
I've never managed to see John play live, so I'm really looking forward to the London show in December, but if you've never heard of TMG or bought any of their music, I hope this post may inspire you to check them out.
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