Review: The Mountain Goat's "Heretic Pride"
Nick Tabor
Issue date: 3/6/08 Section: Arts
When John Darnielle, the force behind the Mountain Goats, signed to 4AD Records in 2002, he abandoned his boombox production methods and hired backing musicians.
Some fans threw "Judas" accusations at him immediately, but he satiated most of them by keeping his focus squarely on his lyrics.
"Heretic Pride," released on Feb. 19, is his fifth album since that switch. It marks another turning point in both production values and lyrical content.
His lyrics are darker but less somber this time around. Instead of autobiographical stories about beatings from his stepfather and speed addicts from Oregon, he writes about zombies and science fiction writers roaming the streets.
Myself, I preferred the cohesion he achieved on "Tallahassee" and "The Sunset Tree." There's nothing wrong with a mere collection of songs, instead of an intricate song cycle, but "Heretic Pride" has a smaller artistic scope than the others.
To be fair, Darnielle still achieves moments of understated beauty from time to time. "September 15 1983" chronicles the capture of some Israelis by Palestinian terrorists. "The heat drifts across the land / If I forget Israel, let me forget my right hand," the narrator sings. The last few words hint toward the song's other violent images: "Wind up on your own floor / Choking on blood."
Regrettably, this album also diverges from Darnielle's traditional production aesthetic more severely than any of his other 4AD work. The upbeat "San Bernadino" features a bright, crisp string arrangement, for instance, and Darnielle opts for a distorted electric guitar on "Lovecraft in Brooklyn" - a first for the band. They evidently got carried away in the studio. Sometimes the arrangements here threaten to steal the show.
If "Heretic Pride" had served as my introduction to the Mountain Goats, I would have forgotten them quickly. Buy this record if you're already a devoted fan, but otherwise you'd be wiser to spend your money on "Tallahassee," "The Sunset Tree," or "All Hail West Texas" instead.
Some fans threw "Judas" accusations at him immediately, but he satiated most of them by keeping his focus squarely on his lyrics.
"Heretic Pride," released on Feb. 19, is his fifth album since that switch. It marks another turning point in both production values and lyrical content.
His lyrics are darker but less somber this time around. Instead of autobiographical stories about beatings from his stepfather and speed addicts from Oregon, he writes about zombies and science fiction writers roaming the streets.
Myself, I preferred the cohesion he achieved on "Tallahassee" and "The Sunset Tree." There's nothing wrong with a mere collection of songs, instead of an intricate song cycle, but "Heretic Pride" has a smaller artistic scope than the others.
To be fair, Darnielle still achieves moments of understated beauty from time to time. "September 15 1983" chronicles the capture of some Israelis by Palestinian terrorists. "The heat drifts across the land / If I forget Israel, let me forget my right hand," the narrator sings. The last few words hint toward the song's other violent images: "Wind up on your own floor / Choking on blood."
Regrettably, this album also diverges from Darnielle's traditional production aesthetic more severely than any of his other 4AD work. The upbeat "San Bernadino" features a bright, crisp string arrangement, for instance, and Darnielle opts for a distorted electric guitar on "Lovecraft in Brooklyn" - a first for the band. They evidently got carried away in the studio. Sometimes the arrangements here threaten to steal the show.
If "Heretic Pride" had served as my introduction to the Mountain Goats, I would have forgotten them quickly. Buy this record if you're already a devoted fan, but otherwise you'd be wiser to spend your money on "Tallahassee," "The Sunset Tree," or "All Hail West Texas" instead.
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