Tallahassee
4AD
2002
Rating: 8 oceanographer kings out of 10
The Mountain Goats, a.k.a. John Darnielle, has been known over the years for his ingenious lyrics, heartfelt performances, and the fact that almost everything he has recorded thus far in his career (and there’s been a lot) has been recorded straight to cassette on a run-of-the-mill boombox. His music consisted of just a man and his guitar, and a lot of tape hiss. And while the hiss might have been a little distracting, it also seemed to make the music feel that much more personal, like a homemade recording of one of your friends that only you knew about.
This album marks John Darnielle’s first recording for the British super-label 4AD, as well as his first album to be recorded on professional equipment. What has changed? Well, there’s no hiss, but I don’t miss it too much. The music still sounds like The Mountain Goats, but there is some additional instrumentation added to help flesh out the sound - piano, percussion, shakers, etc. But all of this takes a backseat to what has always been the core of his music - the guitar and voice.
This record is a concept record, about a couple and the deterioration of their relationship and all of the trappings that go along with it as they move across the country. Well, it’s actually much more complex than that, but that seems to be the gist of it. And while I may not like it as much as ‘All Hail West Texas’ (his best record in my opinion), it’s still real damn good. John’s lyrics are some of the most beautiful and complex I have ever heard; they manage to paint a vivid picture, every song like reading a short story by one of your favorite authors. I’m usually the type of person who doesn’t even pay much attention to lyrics, but these grab you whether you like it or not. I highly recommend this record if you’ve ever been a fan of singer-songwriter type music...and pick up ‘All Hail West Texas’ while you’re at it too, you won’t be disappointed.
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