John Darnielle is a compulsive writer forever clutching his stomach as songs pour out uncontrollably into whatever recording device is in front of him. What sets him apart from other prolific artists in the indie rock world (Conor Oberst, Ryan Adams, Stephin Merritt) whose records and side projects can't keep up with the flow of their pens is his almost alarming gift for pairing quantity with quality. After dropping the devastating Tallahassee -- a record that followed in gory detail the imagined demise of a Florida couple's marriage -- in 2002, he turned his focus inward, taking an almost autobiographical stance on the follow-up, We Shall All Be Healed, a framework that is applied tenfold on the riveting The Sunset Tree. This is John Cougar Mellencamp's Scarecrow if it were set in southern California and narrated by Charles Bukowski. At the center is Darnielle's abusive stepfather, who slyly receives the album's dedication. He's a drunk, a misguided disciplinarian, and a lousy role model for the young artist who plies away his days in a haze of liquor-fueled misogyny, wistful romanticism, and good old-fashioned teen angst, always aware that each night will end in violence. Darnielle's talent for writing an engaging narrative is matched only by the succinctness of the music behind it. This is especially true on standout cuts like "This Year," a near-perfect snapshot of youthful defiance with its rousing, last-road-trip-ever refrain of "I am gonna make it through this year if it kills me," and "Lion's Teeth," an uncomfortable moment of clarity that looks rage in both eyes without flinching, using a string-laden backbeat to up the suspense. Despite The Sunset Tree's white-knuckle subject matter and salt-in-the-wound imagery, it's surprisingly accessible. It's a gloves-off catharsis occurring in real time for the gifted singer/songwriter, and it leaves a mark on the listener as well.
Once again January enters my life with a bang and a flurry of optimism and resolutions. As is my way, I'll be using "technology" and the "internets" to track my progress - by way of Joe's Goals. Here is my nifty graph: Right now I'm baking bread (yup, it's a goal) and it smells pretty amazing.
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I think this song is the perfect ending to a cd. It's nice and light and flowing and pretty. It's got that recurring underlying melody (maybe harmony? I'm kind of musically challenged) and tells a story very nicely, that way that you do when you're recalling old memories. And then the violin just reinforces it all even more.The whole cd is about the singer's abusive stepfather and then I think ...
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Taste is a funny thing, to me. Music is funny. I never know how someone will react to a certain piece of music. Do they listen because they like the band? Because it's hip to like this particular band at this particular time? Does the music soothe them? Do they never think about the words? I don't know. Sometimes I think I'm too old. Kids in their 20's run around following their f...
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365 days ago exactly everything changed. I was in the midst of a pretty prolonged depression, although I am not sure if I realized it at the time...i hated my job and was just generally stuck in a rut. I wasn't being overly social back then either, but for whatever reason I decided to got out on that Monday night, July 10th.And for whatever reason I drank a little too much and decided to crash ...
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"Locking eyes, holding hands...twin high maintenance machines..."
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He's devastating, John Darnielle is, and cathartic. There's plenty of darkness and light on all of his many albums and tapes, but there's something about this song. It's the precision of the lyrics, the description of a house (a life) in utter disrepair, and the churning, excited strumming that nails the will to survive right there onto the bottom rung. And the line, "I write down good reasons ...
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I think this song is the perfect ending to a cd. It's nice and light and flowing and pretty. It's got that recurring underlying melody (maybe harmony? I'm kind of musically challenged) and tells a story very nicely, that way that you do when you're recalling old memories. And then the violin just reinforces it all even more.The whole cd is about the singer's abusive stepfather and then I think ...
More >
ok, so lots of you audio stars are posting your best-o-08 lists this time of year... Sadly, i haven't heard enough new music of 08 to really comment inteligently (though there was lots of stuff i liked, and shocker, i did love love love the new mtn goats).Instead, inspired by my friend Neil, i'm posting my top10 ever. I promised not to peek at his list till i made mine... just checked and we ha...
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...and everything is fine. My hard drive bit the dust last week, rendering any MOG-o-Magicism pretty much useless. To be fair, the little drive was much-abused. I've been running the thing on max capacity for months. All of my music is alive and well and backup-ed and still hasn't been played since the crash, 'cause I have decided to take an _old-familiar-music_ hiatus. I got a few new albu...
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Once again January enters my life with a bang and a flurry of optimism and resolutions. As is my way, I'll be using "technology" and the "internets" to track my progress - by way of Joe's Goals. Here is my nifty graph: Right now I'm baking bread (yup, it's a goal) and it smells pretty amazing.
More >
Taste is a funny thing, to me. Music is funny. I never know how someone will react to a certain piece of music. Do they listen because they like the band? Because it's hip to like this particular band at this particular time? Does the music soothe them? Do they never think about the words? I don't know. Sometimes I think I'm too old. Kids in their 20's run around following their f...
More >
With the new Mountain Goats tracks being announced on Pitchfork, I revisited my love for my favorite record of theirs, The Sunset Tree. This is my favorite track off the record, "Love Love Love." The lyrics, the melody, Darnielle's voice: everything is incredible.
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 You or Your Memory |
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| 2 Broom People |
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| 3 This Year |
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| 4 Dilaudid |
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| 5 Dance Music |
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| 6 Dinu Lipatti's Bones |
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| 7 Up the Wolves |
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| 8 Lion's Teeth |
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| 9 Hast Thou Considered the Tetrapod |
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| 10 Magpie |
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| 11 Song for Dennis Brown |
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| 12 Love Love Love |
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| 13 Pale Green Things |
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Click to purchase…
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 "The Sunset Tree")
