The Mountain Goats

Orizio · 15-09-2010 09:58PM #1

Is John Darnielle one of the greatest lyricists of all time? Some examples:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRP6egIEABk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZTslh_e2iE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2FyFS5kFZ7w

lordgoat · 15-09-2010 11:02PM

I would say yes he his, for me he's up there with Elliott Smith and Stephin Merritt, with a mention to Jeff Tweedy (just cos i love Wilco) as the best of my lifetime.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PO4r9m_6Xk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4y4e56Y6_8

sing it...

I DON'T WANNA DIE ALONE....

johnny_ultimate · 15-09-2010 11:17PM

I've only gotten into the Mountain Goats recently - with thanks to Owen Pallett for playing a cover of "Alpha Omega" at his last gig - but really digging them. No Children is a new favourite of mine - lordgoat's comparison to the great Stephin Merrit is apt there; both seem to share the same sardonic and playful approach to storytelling. Most of their stuff is on emusic so will keep picking up their albums: have Tallahasee and The Sunset Tree so far, both of which are excellent.

lordgoat · 15-09-2010 11:20PM

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

I've only gotten into the Mountain Goats recently - with thanks to Owen Pallett for playing a cover of "Alpha Omega" at his last gig - but really digging them. No Children is a new favourite of mine - lordgoat's comparison to the great Stephin Merrit is apt there; both seem to share the same sardonic and playful approach to storytelling. Most of their stuff is on emusic so will keep picking up their albums: have Tallahasee and The Sunset Tree so far, both of which are excellent.

You're in for a treat. They are a truly great band. All on spotify too if you have access to it.

Miguel_Sanchez · 15-09-2010 11:31PM

I'm a big fan myself.

Watch that Get Lonely album though - it'll crush you if you listen to it in the wrong mood.

Orizio · 15-09-2010 11:33PM

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

I've only gotten into the Mountain Goats recently - with thanks to Owen Pallett for playing a cover of "Alpha Omega" at his last gig - but really digging them. No Children is a new favourite of mine - lordgoat's comparison to the great Stephin Merrit is apt there; both seem to share the same sardonic and playful approach to storytelling. Most of their stuff is on emusic so will keep picking up their albums: have Tallahasee and The Sunset Tree so far, both of which are excellent.

Get 'We Shall All Be Healed' next.

johnny_ultimate · 15-09-2010 11:44PM

Orizio wrote: »

Get 'We Shall All Be Healed' next.

Downloading now

Jeff Lebowski wrote:

Watch that Get Lonely album though - it'll crush you if you listen to it in the wrong mood.

An emotional crushing, I'm guessing?

Miguel_Sanchez · 15-09-2010 11:55PM

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

Downloading now

Legally of course.

An emotional crushing, I'm guessing?

Well try it for yourself and see - get dumped, go out on the lock and then come home and listen to the title track at 3 in the morning after a night of whiskey and regret.

johnny_ultimate · 16-09-2010 12:00AM

Jeff_Lebowski wrote: »

Legally of course.

This thread actually reminded me that my emusic sub refreshed today. Success!

Well try it for yourself and see - get dumped, go out on the lock and then come home and listen to the title track at 3 in the morning after a night of whiskey and regret.

Sounds like a lark.

Amazotheamazing · 16-09-2010 02:24PM

He's up there with Will Sheff from Okkervil River and Craig Finn from the Hold Steady as a lyricist imo. All three write in such a way that seems completely natural, though obviously very different.

All also write from a post or lapsed Catholic point of view, imo.

pauliewallie · 16-09-2010 05:42PM

wow, the mountain goats really are a moderators favourite

never listened before but really liking them, class lyrics ... cheers for posting!

SVG · 16-09-2010 07:35PM

Thanks for this thread, sometimes I feel like I need an outlet to express my love for the Mountain Goats!

I definitely agree that John Darnielle is up there with the great lyricists. He can express such complex characters and emotions and situations so succinctly. I really believe (pretentiousness alert!) that Tallahasse is a Great American Novel with bonus fantastic music.

And for such a songwriter-driven band, the music is pretty fantastic too. The band is amazingly, life-affirmingly brilliant live! The drummer is amazing. Tracks that can be a little thin on record just sound so full and rocking performed on stage. Darnielle is great with the banter and performances never veer into that coffeehouse singer-songwriter hush hush zone of boredom.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owTxW2cIdpo

Plus, being so prolific, there's a massive back-catalogue of stuff to discover and enjoy.

Oh, The Mountain Goats, they're the band that just keeps giving!

What are people's favourite albums/tracks?

lordgoat · 16-09-2010 07:46PM

Up The Wolves - is my favourite track today. If you see light is another fv of mine. And Dance music hasn't gotten old either.

Get Lonely for the album.

SVG · 16-09-2010 08:03PM

I love Get Lonely- it really hangs together as a collection of songs. Moon Over Goldsboro is my favourite track off it. The lyrics are so heartbreaking:

Walking home I was talking to you under my breath/ Saying things I would never say directly/ I heard a siren on the highway up ahead/Kinda wished they'd come and get me

At the moment my favourite album is The Coroner's Gambit. There are just so many individual great songs on it- Jaipur, Elijah, Baboon, Scotch Grove... most of the album really! My favourite one though is Insurance Fraud. There's kind of a wry, black sense of humour to it:

bag full of oily rags, fifty cent lighter/ dreams of retirement in Cancun burning ever brighter/ there's a lot of ways to make money in this world/ but i can't recommend insurance fraud.

I love it!

No doubt tomorrow I'll have a new favourite but that's the beauty of a band with a big back-catalogue.

part time punk · 16-09-2010 11:19PM

No Children was the first song of theirs I heard and is probably still my favourite although This Year off Sunset Tree is another great track. Such dark black humour.

Jim · 17-09-2010 02:58PM

By far my favourite artist (as you can see from my lastfm :pac:). Traveled over to London last week to see him. Excellent show.

There's just something about his lyrics, v v deep without being too over emotional. I much prefer his rough solo stuff to his polished full band stuff though. I think he only played 2 of the songs I really wanted to hear in London, but when an artist has such a large discography you'll never be happy.

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

I've only gotten into the Mountain Goats recently - with thanks to Owen Pallett for playing a cover of "Alpha Omega" at his last gig - but really digging them.

When he asked if we wanted to hear a Mountain Goats song I was the one shouting "Yes! OH GOD YES!!!!!" :pac:

Jim · 17-09-2010 03:02PM

I didn't bring my cam with me to the London gig for fear of being stopped at the door with it. So here's a quick snap I took with my cam phone for anyone interested!

Also, setlist;

1 Samuel 15:23
Old College Try
Cotton
Psalms 40:2
In the Craters on the Moon
Your Belgian Things
Shower
Cobscook Bay
The Day the Aliens Came
Sinaloan Milk Snake Song
Deuteronomy 2:10
Enoch 18:14
Love Love Love
Hast Thou Considered the Tetrapod?
Going to Georgia
This Year

Encore:
Houseguest (Nothing Painted Blue cover)
No Children

Encore 2:
Lion's Teeth
The Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton

Encore 3:
California Song

SVG · 17-09-2010 09:52PM

I much prefer his rough solo stuff to his polished full band stuff though. I think he only played 2 of the songs I really wanted to hear in London, but when an artist has such a large discography you'll never be happy.

His early stuff is so good! I would love to hear The Recognition Scene or Going to Utrecht live. In fact, it'd be great if he did a gig of just Going To songs.

Tallahassee was the first album I got and it was nice to have a new favourite band that already had a huge back catalogue and not to have to wait 2 years for another 12 songs to obsess over.

lordgoat · 17-09-2010 11:56PM

Those Encore's were sweet. If he's thrown Dance Music into that set i'd have been delighted!

I actually emailed Elec Picnic to tell them to book him for it. They replied and said they had all the acts booked but would love to have had him on the bill. Wasn't sure whether to believe them or not!

GirlOfGlass · 20-09-2010 10:02PM

I love The Mountain Goats! There's something really soothing about John Darnielle's voice.
It's just really pure, I love it.

Choochtown · 22-09-2010 04:02PM

... and I thought i was in a small minority! Definitely one of the greatest songwriters ever. 3 years ago I was left with a list that had been whittled down to 2: Acts I must see before I die. After Tom Waits in Phoenix Park it is down to 1.

Mr Darnielle get yourself over here!

Can we start a campaign?

Miguel_Sanchez · 22-09-2010 04:51PM

Has he ever played Ireland?

I flew to Scotland once to see him play with Micah P Hinson.

Well worth the trip.

schemingbohemia · 22-09-2010 05:00PM

played the Cobblestones a few years ago when the gig venue was upstairs, great gig small crowd.

Howard the Duck · 23-09-2010 10:17PM

Yep i'm a mountain goats fan. I think the first song i heard was "Jenny" a few years back and thought it had some fantastic lyrics. But my all time favourite is Matthew 25:21 . I think the last few lines in the song are amazing and it is probably the saddest song you'll ever hear.. might be why i like it so much.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0q1V9GbS6so

SVG · 24-09-2010 01:40PM

Does anyone have Life of the World in Flux? I'm slightly obsessed with Enoch 18:14 at the minute and I'm wondering if it's worth tracking down.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBY097kLWKw

unknown convict · 05-05-2011 01:16AM

schemingbohemia wrote: »

played the Cobblestones a few years ago when the gig venue was upstairs, great gig small crowd.

October 2002. Played Sligo too.

130 in the Cobblestone is a small crowd?

Also played in Slattery's on Capel St. in November 1996.

unknown convict · 05-05-2011 01:27AM

unknown convict wrote: »

October 2002.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/vpfh9q

Hope this is kosher.

lady of the flowers · 06-05-2011 08:24PM

I think you just saved my life!

wow!

kaki · 06-05-2011 09:20PM

Love love love them.

And yes, Darnielle is in my books one of the best lyricists around.

All day, all day
Sweeping out the shards
Do what I have to do
Try to start anew
But I thought of you twice
Couldn’t help myself
I don’t know what I need
Clutching and fingering the rosary beads

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZRoER0Ah54

TV upstairs,
Leave it on all night
Do what I have to do
Add, subtract, and divide by 2
But my eyes light up,
At cops and robbers time
I hope the bad guys win
I hope the good guys get their skulls bashed in

The Scientician · 10-05-2011 03:37PM

The Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton is in my top whatever songs. I think it's absolutely amazing, in its simplicity and its emotional depth. All the youtube videos for it get trolled by metallers though.

johnny_ultimate · 10-05-2011 04:52PM

The Scientician wrote: »

The Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton is in my top whatever songs. I think it's absolutely amazing, in its simplicity and its emotional depth. All the youtube videos for it get trolled by metallers though.

That and Fall of the Star High School Running Back is a brilliant two hit combo to open up All Hail West Texas!

What I love about Mountain Goat songs is how they can be emotionally involving without sentimentality. In Dance Music "So this is what the volume knob's for" acts as both a brilliant punchline and genuinely moving storytelling.

Roll on next Sunday!

The Mountain Goats

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