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March 28, 2024, 08:38:55 PM

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The Mountain Goats

Started by Ferris, April 02, 2019, 05:00:31 AM

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Ferris

I picked out The Sunset Tree on the strength of a couple of singles probably about 2 years ago (?), and have been slowly getting increasingly obsessed with them. Saw them live in 2017 (?) and they were great, weird and loud and compelling.

I have been trapped in All Hail West Texas for about 2 weeks now. Getting very cramped in here. They are playing in Toronto next month, and I'm wondering if I can take a 3 month old infant to the show so I can go see them.

They're terrific. One of those bands that really feels like every record was made for me, and there's loads of back catalogue to enjoy. Figured I'd make a thread becaus I haven't seen anything on CaB about them and I reckon all right-thinking people will love the Mountain Goats.

Ferris

Blasting Get Lonely (quietly through my headphones while Mrs Ferris and Ferris Jr sleep in the next room). It's great. This band is great. Get listening.

Psmith

Yes,I wholeheartedly agree.You and Chairman Bodog introduced me to them a year ago ,Thanks very much.

eifion

Yes, they're great. I picked up Tallahassee when it came out as I tended to buy anything on 4AD. I played it to a friend who has since developed an obsession with them and we're off to see them in Leeds this autumn for what will be my 7th or 8th MG gig.

DukeDeMondo

All Hail West Texas is probably my favourite album by them / him. "The Best Ever Death Metal Band In Denton" is one of my favourite songs ever written by anyone. The whole album is a fucking marvel of a thing, really. Just stunning song after stunning song. The economy of the storytelling, the amount of information he conveys with so little. It's breathtaking.

I've seen them twice, and both shows were spectacular. One was at Koko when they were touring All Eternals Deck, and it was just the standard acoustic guitar / bass / drums set-up. It was sublime, although I do remember someone grumbling at the bar about how "it's just a load of fucking strumming." He'd have been more impressed with the show at the Barbican a year or so later, maybe. That was a different carry on all together. Started off with "a load of fucking strumming," but it was a load of beautiful fucking strumming indeed, and then eventually John Darnielle was joined by the female a cappella quartet Anonymous 4 and Owen Pallett and then that was it then, just, whole fucking thing just shot through the ceiling altogether and away across space and time to the devil.

I've sort of lost track of what's been going on since the release of his first novel and that album all about wrestling, and I listened very little to that podcast that had a different person cover a different Mountain Goats track each week (some of those may have been compiled for an actual album by now, I dunno). And these three or four track things he drops now and then all to do with jedis and dragons. I don't keep up to date, really. I hear the odd thing here and there, mind, and I really liked Goths. Thought that was a brilliant album. I think "Andrew Eldritch Is Moving Back To Leeds" is one of the most beautiful things he's ever put out of him.

I feel like I should catch up a bit, but to be honest, reading through this thread, I feel more like going back to Full Force Galesburg or something for a while again instead.

grassbath

They are superb and I will also be seeing them in Leeds in the autumn, given I saw them when they were last here and it was stunning. Last year I also enjoyed his second novel. Need to get around to the first.

The Sunset Tree is the one for me - always dust it off around Easter. Sunshine coming back into the world, punching the air to 'Up the Wolves' or 'Hast Thou Considered the Tetrapod' when you leave your house on a bright cold morning, re-energised. New beginnings. Wriggling up on dry land. Pale green things.

But their best song, and it's a perfect song, one of my favourite songs ever recorded, is not on The Sunset Tree. It is on All Hail West Texas and it's called 'The Mess Inside.'

Cuellar

Utterly brilliant band/man. Would love to see them live, as I imagine it'd be a good show. Madly prolific too. Love all the 'little' songs like 'Going to Georgia', ones that don't have much to them but pack an absurd amount into what they have.

I love The Sunset Tree, and I've listened to it a lot, but I find it a hard listen these days, just thinking about where it comes from in his life. My favourite song on the album might be 'Hast Thou Considered The Tetrapod' but Christ, it's just got such vulnerability shot through it, it just gets to me.

garbed_attic

Quote from: DukeDeMondo on April 02, 2019, 06:04:51 PM
All Hail West Texas is probably my favourite album by them / him. "The Best Ever Death Metal Band In Denton" is one of my favourite songs ever written by anyone. The whole album is a fucking marvel of a thing, really. Just stunning song after stunning song. The economy of the storytelling, the amount of information he conveys with so little. It's breathtaking.

It's also generally quite easy to play on acoustic guitar if you have a tendency to strum real hard (which I do)

at least, I love playing 'The Fall of The High School Running Back'

They just used "No Chance" by Mountain Goats in a montage during the final episode of You're The Worst.

Cuellar

'Prowl Great Cain' is not only a good song but it's a belter of a song title

Cuellar

I was completely won over by The Best Ever Death Metal Band the first time I heard it - the way it gulls you into laughing along with the two guys, then upbraids you for it - wonderful moment.

Ferris

Quote from: Cuellar on April 12, 2019, 09:33:37 PM
I was completely won over by The Best Ever Death Metal Band the first time I heard it - the way it gulls you into laughing along with the two guys, then upbraids you for it - wonderful moment.

I thought that album was guff until I listened to it properly and realized how great it was.

Ferris

Sitting up in the dark listening to Heretic Pride for the first time. Picked it more or less at random from the back catalogue that I don't know.

It's fucking great. They are playing in Toronto in a few weeks and I'm seriously considering trying to take my infant son so I can go.

greenman

I'v heard the odd track by him/them in the pas but I admit like so much lo fi folky US indie it didn't really hit home with me, I mean yes I can appreciate the intelligence of the writing of something like Death Metal Band but musically I'd far prefer actual down at heel folk like say Townes Van Zant.

The recent Sicilian Crest is probably what I'v enjoyed the most...

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

Tairy_Green

The Life of the World to Come was the first one to get me into the band and I can't recommend it highly enough; it's as devastating as The Sunset Tree, although for very different reasons, and a great representation of different aspects of the band's sound. Plus it's all about Death and God.

Brilliant live band too, I took a full week off work to follow them around the UK circa All Eternals Deck and it was great. The Barbican performance mentioned above was exceptional, as was a great show at at Union Chapel, only JD and Peter Hughes, sometime around Transcendental Youth. Slightly miffed that the UK seems to be left out of all full band tour plans... If I'm standing in Shepherd's Bush Empire, I want something I can jiggle to.

Old Thrashbarg

My favourite band, after becoming slightly obsessed with them since being introduced to Best Ever Death Metal Band by DukeDeMondo a few years ago.

Picking out a favourite song/album is almost impossible as I love so much of what they've done. As it's not been mentioned in here so far though, I will give a nod to No Children; a wonderfully nasty and spiteful song.

They're also utterly brilliant live. The times I've seen them at the Brudenell in Leeds are as close to perfect as gigs get I think. And it helps that that's one of their favourite venues as well, one of the few places they ever book for multiple shows  on the same tour. Stupidly delayed on get tickets for November, but I'll be trying to pick up any that become available.

Ferris

Quote from: FerriswheelBueller on April 02, 2019, 05:05:16 AM
Blasting Get Lonely (quietly through my headphones while Mrs Ferris and Ferris Jr sleep in the next room). It's great. This band is great. Get listening.

Doing exactly the same, but with Heretic Pride. Not a great name for a record, but it is terrific.

We all sink into patterns of behaviour don't we?

Ferris

#17
Quote from: FerriswheelBueller on April 21, 2019, 04:33:38 AM
Sitting up in the dark listening to Heretic Pride for the first time. Picked it more or less at random from the back catalogue that I don't know.

It's fucking great. They are playing in Toronto in a few weeks and I'm seriously considering trying to take my infant son so I can go.

Sometimes we even do the exact same thing even though we've forgotten we've already done. Don't we eh! Don't we? God I'm tired,

Edit: got a guitar out (electric and not plugged in) so I can play along to Autoclave. Quietly so I don't wake anyone up. Rock n roll!

Tairy_Green

On a second spin through the new record. I think it might ve the best since All Eternals Deck.

Ferris

Quote from: Tairy_Green on April 29, 2019, 04:20:52 PM
On a second spin through the new record. I think it might ve the best since All Eternals Deck.

Not had chance to listen to it yet, but have a bit of time later on to give it a go. Glad it's decent!

Cuellar

Quote from: FerriswheelBueller on April 12, 2019, 09:41:39 PM
I thought that album was guff until I listened to it properly and realized how great it was.

The extended version with the extra songs contains a creative misstep as bad as Auden's changing 'we must love one another or die' to 'we must love one another AND die', though.

The alternate version of 'Jenny' where he flattens one note in the little riff in the beginning...ooofffffff. Nowhere near as good.

Cuellar

Quote from: FerriswheelBueller on April 25, 2019, 04:41:35 AM
Doing exactly the same, but with Heretic Pride. Not a great name for a record, but it is terrific.

We all sink into patterns of behaviour don't we?

I heard him in an interview describe the Heretic Pride tour as one of full on mental collapse - what happened?!

Tairy_Green

Re. Heretic Pride tour - not sure about mental collapse, but this set is fantastic, intensity is at a high - https://youtu.be/kpTolrSnkqI

Ferris

Quote from: Tairy_Green on April 29, 2019, 08:44:53 PM
Re. Heretic Pride tour - not sure about mental collapse, but this set is fantastic, intensity is at a high - https://youtu.be/kpTolrSnkqI

I'm being daft - with my spare 90 minutes (Mrs Ferris and Ferris Jr gone to the shops) I am blasting All Hail West Texas at my stupid ears. I've been up since 4.30am (diaper emergency for my son*) and can't do new Goats just now.

Mmmm this is great. Nice and crunchy through the big speakers. I'm pretending I'm cleaning the kitchen! Madness!

*28 years old he is

Ferris

#24
Quote from: Tairy_Green on April 29, 2019, 08:44:53 PM
Re. Heretic Pride tour - not sure about mental collapse, but this set is fantastic, intensity is at a high - https://youtu.be/kpTolrSnkqI

Listened to that one a few weeks ago actually. I don't remember who made me aware of archive.org, but this site is amazing. It is an attempt to archive everything, including live music performances. Look at this!

https://archive.org/details/etree?and%5B%5D=Mountain+goats&sin=

I've only used it for the Mountain Goats, but I bet there's a fucking ton of stuff on there. Reminds me of being a teenager and seeing out shit bootleg copies of live albums and listening for how songs are different live, or which bits stay the same.

What a resource.

Edit: look, here's a show I was at! https://archive.org/details/tMG2018-04-14.bootleg/03_howToEmbraceASwampCreature.flac

Cuellar

Quote from: Tairy_Green on April 29, 2019, 04:20:52 PM
On a second spin through the new record. I think it might ve the best since All Eternals Deck.

Not a fan of Beat The Champ?

Tairy_Green

Quote from: Cuellar on May 02, 2019, 10:24:15 AM
Not a fan of Beat The Champ?

Definitelt, it's a great record, and inadvertently kindled in me a genuine love/obsession with indie wrestling. I just think ...Dragons might be better.

I don't really think JD has put out a bad album (except maybe Nothing But Juice, which still has its moments) but AED is a personal favourite. High Hawk Season and Lisa Minelli Forever are top ten tMG for me.

Ferris

Quote from: Cuellar on May 02, 2019, 10:24:15 AM
Not a fan of Beat The Champ?

I've been working through the back catalogue in chronological order, getting familiar with each record before I move on to the next. I still have the most recent 4 or 5 to go so quite excited for these.

I know a few of the songs anyway, but they're a great album band and most of the gems are hidden away.

Ferris

#28
Finally listening to In League With Dragons. It's great. I like all the organs and electric pianos going on.

There's even a reference to my beloved Blue Jays! Terrific.

Edit: the fact that I'm posting here means I'm not watching them play in Toronto. Couldn't find anyone to look after Ferris Jr at short notice. Never mind! Next time

Cuellar

Quote from: Tairy_Green on May 05, 2019, 04:49:22 AM
Definitelt, it's a great record, and inadvertently kindled in me a genuine love/obsession with indie wrestling. I just think ...Dragons might be better.

I don't really think JD has put out a bad album (except maybe Nothing But Juice, which still has its moments) but AED is a personal favourite. High Hawk Season and Lisa Minelli Forever are top ten tMG for me.

Fair play. I think there's something to enjoy on every track on Beat The Champ and it also made me view wrestling in a different light. Partly because of the album I went to see some lucha libre wrestling in Mexico, and I feel it has in turn given me a greater insight into the album.

I've been giving albums of his I'd overlooked a chance recently, and I've found myself really enjoying Transcendental Youth.