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Iāve always loved The Mountain Goats for John Darnielle and companyās emotive and literary folk rock, but I had (up until now) mainly listened to the ācanonicalā releases (saying this b/c ik John would find it absurd) like All Hail West Texas, The Sunset Tree and Tallahasse.
Like I said, this was until recently. I have had this new interest in the Mountain Goats, diving headfirst into the podcast āI Only Listen to the Mountain Goatsā where Darnielle and the host of Welcome to Nightvale discussed songs off of āAll Hail West Texas.ā This made me decide to look back and listen to some MG records I hadnt yet listened to, leading me to Full Force Galesburg.
The wroting is superb, and the production goes back and forth from a more polished sound and the boombox folk of something like āWest Texas.ā It to me is this nice combo of later recordsā instrumentation and the early recordsā raw expression. The album mostly consists of Danielleās solo vocals over guitar and the occasional string arrangement (tho a good few tracks include the whole band to delightsome effect). The simplicity of the record is its strongest attribute, and I recommend anyone whoās at least vaguely aware of the Mountain Goats and likes what theyāve heard to give the record a listen
Related Recs
Here are my fav records that I have been listening to lately, this lineup strikes me as very "pi.fyi-core". Hope you enjoy :)
(in order of appearance)
-Thinking Fellers Union Local 282: Lovelyville <discovered this reading some Robert Schneider interviews after seeing the Apples in Stereo play for the W.C. Hart memorial show in Athens>
-DJO: The Crux <That guy from Stranger Things has a set of pipes, great happy album>
Panda Bear: Sinister Gift <sounds like The Beach Boys! the parts that don't are kinda atmospheric and very very pretty>
Bon Iver: SABLE, fABLE <he strikes again. very stripped back but absolutely gorgeous. Justin literally can not make a song that isnt somehow lush and cold at the same, like being covered in a sheet of ice that keeps you warm. He has this interview where he talks about the work and thought process behind it. Very cool!>
Black Country, New Road: Forever Howlong <this album features almost entirely female vocals, a nice change since Issac Wood left the band, and the vocals, piano, and woodwind instumetaion are just absolutely gorgeous, sounds like rain smells.
Cameron Winter: Heavy Metal <since half of this app is from Brooklyn, I'm sure you know this guy! He sings for the band Geese, but this record doesn't sound much like Geese at all. It has some of the craziest lyrics.I have heard in a hot minute, and is adorned by ~usually~ sparse and skeletal instruments, as well as Camerons odd yet alluring voice.
Hope you enjoy! lmk what you think of these records :)
Apr 26, 2025
i only sort of got buck meek before but now iām fully there. i believe this will continue to mature well if i revisit. in fact I think I will listen all over again right now
Jul 6, 2025
this new album is so great, somewhere between dijon, vampire weekend, wallows and probably some more accurate comparisons from people more in the know. production is immaculate but not annoyingly clean, the mix sounds bright and lovely. no idea what he's on about sometimes but there's a lot of lyrics about the pressure of expectations.
if you were to give it a go i would say check out elevator hum which is the one i that got me to listen to the album in the first place.
LET ME KNOW IF YOU LISTEN and thank me later
- shredddie
Feb 16, 2024
Top Recs from @melancholic_kristi
actually two of them were gifts from awhile back but shhhh
Jun 17, 2025
Jun 13, 2025
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Iām a romantic, giving up kissing is like giving up air. I would mourn the loss of ranch however
Jun 13, 2025