Mountain Goats – Heratic Pride
Mountain Goats fans have been waiting with bated breath since news first arrived that the band was going to be recording something. At their Toronto show, the crowd buzzed with excitement as they played new tracks. It would be completely fair to say that the record, released February 19, lets no one down.
From the opening notes of “Sax Rohmer #1″, the first track on the new album titled Heretic Pride, it is clear that the Mountain Goats have made yet another amazing record. John Darnielle’s ability to write amazing (if pointed, bitter and strange) lyrics has not dulled in the slightest, and the melodies are catchy. Don’t be surprised if you listen to the record and wander around for days after, singing under your breath.
Written all over the place – Darnielle says, in the comic that serves as a press release, that “Sax Rohmer #1″ was written in North Carolina, while “San Bernadino” was written in California, and still others were written in Sweden, North Carolina and Washington – Heretic Pride sounds more upbeat than other Mountain Goats albums, though the lyrics tell a different story. In the same press release, Darnielle tells us that “Autoclave” is about “people whose hearts pulverize any good feelings that come within a city block of them”, while “So Desperate” is about “people who’re involved with each other when they probably shouldn’t be.”
Certain lyrics themselves are amazingly dark. In “Lovecraft in Brooklyn”, Darnielle frantically cries, “I woke up afraid of my own shadow – like, genuinely afraid!”
The arrangement of the thirteen tracks is amazing. Eric Friedlander did the arrangement for the second track, “San Bernardino”, and played all the instruments. It sounds beautiful. Peter Hughes’s work with the upright bass on the track “Tianchi Lake” (a song about a lake monster in China) is brilliant.
Heretic Pride is another successful record from the Mountain Goats. I can say without lying that I have listened to it daily since the copy landed in my hands. I am seriously considering going broke just to hear “How to Embrace a Swamp Creature” done live for a second time. I strongly, strongly urge everyone to give this disc a spin. If you’re not a fan of the early lo-fi Mountain Goats, this record is grandiose, with string instruments and guitars and drums and piano. You’re going to love it.
If you’re a person who just loves the Mountain Goats, John Darnielle delivers his usual, spectacular and frenetic performance, and you’re going to love it even more. And if you’re actually a Mountain Goat… well. Kudos.
