The Mountain Goats

Editorial

The Mountain Goats have no time to waste. They hit the ground running back in 1991 and to this day they're still running (though maybe just a bit slower). Sure, they've mellowed a little since the heady days of the early '90s, but the highly literate song writing of John Darnielle (and the band's sound) is still as quirky and enthralling as ever.

The first five years in the life of The Mountain Goats were the most prolific, the band releasing a vast body of work across multiple labels and countries of origin. It was a time that saw them focus purely on the urgency of writing. Any tracks that were not adequately recorded within days of writing were, more often than not, forgotten. Years down the track, they've just released their 17th studio album, The Life of the World to Come. Much more than just a notch in their very holey belt, it is another stellar effort from a band who seem to become more creative and adventurous as they get older.

Lead singer John Darnielle is certainly in a class of his own when it comes to original lyricism. Few singer/songwriters can paint such a vivid picture and it's one of the main reasons the band's music is so infectious. Rolling Stone described him as "one of the best songwriters of the ?00s", while The New Yorker said that Darnielle is "America's best non-hip-hop lyricist". Plenty of reason to see these Mountain Goats come round the mountain one more time.
Dave Martin, March 2010