Author Topic: The Mountain Goats - The Sunset Tree (Read 1466 times)

Jerzy Bondov · « **on:** July 23, 2020, 11:11:37 AM »

Never listened to The Mountain Goats before so I popped this album on while working on Monday. Now it is the only album I've listened to all week, over and over. Fucking amazing album. I absolutely love Darnielle's lyrics.

Which one shall I put on next?

shagatha crustie · « **Reply #1 on:** July 23, 2020, 11:22:23 AM »

All Hail West Texas or Tallahassee.

elliszeroed · « **Reply #2 on:** July 23, 2020, 12:14:23 PM »

Transcendental Youth is great, so is Get Lonely.

Cuellar · « **Reply #3 on:** July 23, 2020, 12:22:18 PM »

Quote from: shagatha crustie on July 23, 2020, 11:22:23 AM

All Hail West Texas or Tallahassee.

Yeah one of these. I'd probably say All Hail West Texas. Different sound to The Sunset Tree - just him, guitar, recorded on a shit hifi.

We Shall All Be Healed, too. Similar to The Sunset Tree - recorded in a studio, full band backing, about trauma and pain and pretty fucking grim. And excellent.

FerriswheelBueller · « **Reply #4 on:** July 23, 2020, 01:49:00 PM »

A mountain goats thread!!!!

All Hail West Texas is just terrific. Very different sound to the sunset tree though. If you want to stick with the nicely produced similar stuff, I’d say Tallahassee or We Shall All Be Healed are better records, in the same style.

I also love the slightly weirder ones (Goths, Beat the Champ, in league with dragons). Even the religious stuff is excellent, light of the world to come is an amazing piece of work.

I’m a Goats obsessive so this is great.

FerriswheelBueller · « **Reply #5 on:** July 23, 2020, 01:50:11 PM »

Just noticed I’m wearing a mountain goats tshirt as I posted this.

Retinend · « **Reply #6 on:** July 23, 2020, 03:12:11 PM »

Great album. I was saying in the Neutral Milk Hotel thread that I didn't like that guy's voice at all, but I love the voice of Darnielle despite it being so similar. What's up with that. I dunno.

Jerzy Bondov · « **Reply #7 on:** July 23, 2020, 03:58:27 PM »

Rinsing All Hail West Texas now as I fancied a bit of the rougher stuff. It didn't grab onto me as immediately as Sunset Tree but it's definitely right up my street.

FerriswheelBueller · « **Reply #8 on:** July 23, 2020, 04:00:02 PM »

Quote from: Jerzy Bondov on July 23, 2020, 03:58:27 PM

Rinsing All Hail West Texas now as I fancied a bit of the rougher stuff. It didn't grab onto me as immediately as Sunset Tree but it's definitely right up my street.

I had to give it a few goes before I sort of got the whole ethos of it, but it’s amazing. I love it more than I can say, really.

madhair60 · « **Reply #9 on:** July 23, 2020, 04:14:54 PM »

Remember sitting in Oxford Union bursting into tears when I remembered Pale Green Things. Not even listening to it, just thinking about it a bit. gone.

Edit: I had an Oxford girlfriend

JaDanketies · « **Reply #10 on:** July 23, 2020, 04:29:55 PM »

First Mountain Goats album I ever listened to. I got into them because they are the header image of a Facebook group for people like me with the best music tastes

Cuellar · « **Reply #11 on:** July 23, 2020, 05:41:36 PM »

Quote from: FerriswheelBueller on July 23, 2020, 04:00:02 PM

I had to give it a few goes before I sort of got the whole ethos of it, but it’s amazing. I love it more than I can say, really.

Yeah, I think that's fair. It does take a bit of getting used to, but overall I think it's my favourite. Probably not the one I listen to most, these days, having absolutely rinsed it in the past, but still my favourite.

I remember a particular period of reading The Goldfinch and listening to AHWT at the same time, and finding the songs an almost perfect accompaniment to the book. 'Fault Lines', for instance: two damaged people, out in the heat of the desert, making money any way they can, drinking, trying to feel good about themselves.

The songs always seem much 'bigger' in my head too, when I'm remembering them. They conjure a world so vividly, it feels like there's such a weight behind them that they become, in my mind, grand and richly orchestrated, with full backing band etc. But it's all achieved with just him, a guitar, and a not very good microphone.

Clatty McCutcheon · « **Reply #12 on:** July 23, 2020, 11:31:34 PM »

Quote from: Cuellar on July 23, 2020, 12:22:18 PM

Yeah one of these. I'd probably say All Hail West Texas. Different sound to The Sunset Tree - just him, guitar, recorded on a shit hifi.

We Shall All Be Healed, too. Similar to The Sunset Tree - recorded in a studio, full band backing, about trauma and pain and pretty fucking grim. And excellent.

’WSABH’ is definitely the closest in sound and overall feel to ‘The Sunset Tree’, although it’s a bit more uneven. It was the first MG album I heard after semi-randomly stumbling on the song ‘Palmcorder Yajna’ on Kazaa or some file-sharing site in about 2004, and being instantly captivated.

’In League With Dragons’ is the pick of the recent ones for me - particularly the second half/side. ‘Tallahassee‘ probably still the overall standout though.

Cuellar · « **Reply #13 on:** July 24, 2020, 12:20:10 PM »

Quote from: Clatty McCutcheon on July 23, 2020, 11:31:34 PM

’WSABH’ is definitely the closest in sound and overall feel to ‘The Sunset Tree’, although it’s a bit more uneven.

Yeah, fair. There are a couple of songs on WSABH that don't really do much for me, but the ones that DO really do. Like Palmcorder Yajna, and Home Again Garden Grove.

I'd like to echo Ferris's recommendation for 'Beat the Champ', of the more recent stuff. Hangs together really well as an album, and some beautiful individual songs.

Jerzy Bondov · « **Reply #14 on:** August 06, 2020, 11:55:04 AM »

I'm now obsessed with The Mountain Goats. Can't remember the last time I tried a band and got this hooked.

How are we all feeling about Songs for Pierre Chuvin? I think it's great. I saw Darnielle on Twitter saying that he had to turn the boombox on its side to make it sound okay. I think it sounds cleaner than it does on AHWT.

FerriswheelBueller · « **Reply #15 on:** August 06, 2020, 12:08:19 PM »

Quote from: Jerzy Bondov on August 06, 2020, 11:55:04 AM

I'm now obsessed with The Mountain Goats. Can't remember the last time I tried a band and got this hooked.

YES.

There’s so much back catalogue to enjoy. They’re great.

Haven’t had the time to give the new record much of a spin, just been too busy but about to fly on a plane for 2hrs so it’ll be my soundtrack for some of that

peanutbutter · « **Reply #16 on:** August 06, 2020, 12:13:13 PM »

Quote from: Retinend on July 23, 2020, 03:12:11 PM

Great album. I was saying in the Neutral Milk Hotel thread that I didn't like that guy's voice at all, but I love the voice of Darnielle despite it being so similar. What's up with that. I dunno.

One is saying words dripping with sincerity, the other is just saying a load of abstract bullshit?

Old Thrashbarg · « **Reply #17 on:** August 07, 2020, 01:48:16 PM »

I do need to spend more time with In League With Dragons, it's the one album that I've not really clicked with. Not sure why, whenever anything from there comes on I enjoy it, but there hasn't been anything that's hooked me in the same way as at least one song off every other album.

Quote from: Cuellar on July 23, 2020, 05:41:36 PM

The songs always seem much 'bigger' in my head too, when I'm remembering them. They conjure a world so vividly, it feels like there's such a weight behind them that they become, in my mind, grand and richly orchestrated, with full backing band etc. But it's all achieved with just him, a guitar, and a not very good microphone.

I have the same thing, but lyrically. I'm often surprised when listening to something I've not heard for a while that there aren't another couple of verses. The characters are so well-formed that I've sometimes built up a large back-story for them that doesn't exist outside of my head.

Not that All Hail West Texas has gone unplayed for any significant length of time since I discovered it, but a few on there are particularly good examples. Fall Of The Star High School Running Back has a mention of his running back career in the first short verse, and that's it. But I know exactly what the fictional William Stanaforth Donahue looked like and how he played. The house in Color In Your Cheeks is well populated with all sorts of characters. A big dormitory-style room where they all sleep, an inadequate kitchen where they do their best to get by, an unkempt but still pleasant garden space where they sit taking whatever substances they need to get through the day, etc. The Mess Inside could be a film a couple of hours long, by someone like - to pick a name that isn't exactly right, but is close enough - Jim Jarmusch.

FerriswheelBueller · « **Reply #18 on:** August 12, 2020, 05:04:34 PM »

Everyone suitably excited for the new record? Only thing stopping me from preordering is having no fixed address.

Recorded back in March apparently so will be interested to hear how that sounds as it is essentially a lockdown record.

Old Thrashbarg · « **Reply #19 on:** August 12, 2020, 06:10:33 PM »

First single: https://youtu.be/Otp5VzITCgs

FerriswheelBueller · « **Reply #20 on:** August 12, 2020, 08:26:02 PM »

Fuck it preordered a signed copy. Now have to explain to in-laws why something called “getting into knives” is being shipped to them in my name.

Jerzy Bondov · « **Reply #21 on:** August 13, 2020, 09:43:12 AM »

Quote from: Old Thrashbarg on August 12, 2020, 06:10:33 PM

First single: https://youtu.be/Otp5VzITCgs

I love this

FerriswheelBueller · « **Reply #22 on:** August 13, 2020, 12:43:33 PM »

Quote from: FerriswheelBueller on August 12, 2020, 08:26:02 PM

Fuck it preordered a signed copy. Now have to explain to in-laws why something called “getting into knives” is being shipped to them in my name.

There’s the link if anyone else is interested btw

https://www.newburycomics.com/collections/vinyl-pre-orders/products/the_mountain_goats-getting_into_knives_autographed_2lp_color?variant=32717490454633

Cuellar · « **Reply #23 on:** August 14, 2020, 10:39:29 AM »

I wasn't immediately grabbed by Songs for Pierre Chuvin, but it's working its way into my head now - enjoying it a lot.

easytarget · « **Reply #24 on:** August 15, 2020, 06:52:12 AM »

Quote from: FerriswheelBueller on July 23, 2020, 01:50:11 PM

Just noticed I’m wearing a mountain goats tshirt as I posted this.

Is it 'I only listen to The Mountain Goats'?
My mate wears that - makes it hard to talk about Carcass.

Anyway - I think I like Tallahassee the best, but there's still a lot I've not heard.

My old band worked with the producer of the later Mountain Goats records (Brendon Eggleston) on our EPs - he's a good man and made us sound much better than we were.

FerriswheelBueller · « **Reply #25 on:** September 17, 2020, 03:07:47 AM »

This is a lovely piece of work

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dces-mUcNY0

But don’t even think about listening to it until you’ve seen a (superior) live version of this one

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iZNFKxeYZPA

FerriswheelBueller · « **Reply #26 on:** September 20, 2020, 02:48:01 AM »

Quote from: FerriswheelBueller on September 17, 2020, 03:07:47 AM

This is a lovely piece of work

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dces-mUcNY0

But don’t even think about listening to it until you’ve seen a (superior) live version of this one

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iZNFKxeYZPA

Stuck in this all day. Double post twat.

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Author Topic: The Mountain Goats - The Sunset Tree (Read 1466 times)