7.) The Life of the World to
Best Song: Hebrew 11:40
Oh thank god this album is better then Lady GaGa, I think I would have been crucified if I put it under her. Now I am going to say something that may surprise some people who know my general opinion of the Mountain Goats. John Darnielle is a genius......but not in the way most people talk about him. Most people talk about how his lyrics are stunning and how these songs hold so much meaning. Well yeah that’s all well and good. He is a good lyrist and he does put himself into his songs but he is no Bob Dylan and he is no John Lennon in those categories. What he is, is an amazing hook writer…well at least with this release. In fact I will call him one of the greatest minimalist hook writers ever… when he bothers to write a hook.
I am not going to talk about the lyrics needless to say they are good like they always are (even the songs I don’t like I admit are strong on this point). The opening song “1 Samuel 15:23” starts out and I hate it. Until 1:36 into it when he decides it is time to actually make this a songs and not just him singing over uninteresting strumming. Even then it is still the weakest number on the entire album, thankfully I don’t need to judge just by the weak songs.
Because “Hebrews 11:40” is the best
this reminds me of the conversation we had after the first time you heard Dilauded. You basically said "Dude, if this guy can arrange like this, why *doesn't* he?" and I answered simply because he doesn't have to.
ReplyDeleteYou know where I stand on the great lyricist/greatest lyricist spectrum, so I won't bother trying to fight you there. ;)
Deuteronomy was my least favorite song on the album until we saw him do it live and he said it was about the fear of dying childless. DYING CHILDLESS. Then it made me cry. I think it's interesting that you take such a hard line against Samuel; it's one of my favorites on the album! I think it's the narrative brilliance that characterizes this album. Plus? GO DOWN TO THE NETHERWORLD PLANT GRAPES! Live, there's a _fire_ there. You talk about hooks, for this track I want to point out the effective use of percussion.
We do agree about Hebrews though; it's an amazingly brilliant song, which I think will show itself as the stand out offering from this album...(is your appreciation and the use of strings a coincidence? Who can say?!) but I think Genesis 30:3 is my favorite on the album. At least atm.
Finally, I'll throw in that even with the hooks and layering, this album seemed like a return to basics for The Mountain Goats, after the relative pop accessibility of Heretic Pride.
On Samuel I will concede the point that the use of percussion is good, but I still maintain that it isn't great until it is part of one of the two instrumental breaks in the middle and end. In these sections he proves himself a instrumental lyricist almost as good as Kaki King. but the beginning still bores me to no end and that boredom manages to trump my love of the breaks. And you know me, I am more interested in the voice as an instrument then in what it is saying (not that i never pay attention to this), I actually have an album where the band sings in a language they made up!
ReplyDeleteAnd you would be right in calling that the use of strings and my appreciation are not a coincidence. I am a sucker for effective strings especially when they are brought to the forefront and are not just part of a Wall of Sound. Genesis 30:3 is also a great song I think the sparse use of instruments and the way something will pop up in the backround and then fade as if he was having second thoughts is pretty brilliant. It is in my second string after my absolutes.
I am going to say this and Heretic Pride are going to be very important pieces in the puzzle when trying to convince someone new to the Mountain Goats that they are worth listening to. Heretic Pride is the in and The Life of The World to Come is a step back in instant accessibility but a step towards what he wants to be doing. I know after Heretic Pride and this album I am actually interested in going back and giving stuff I hated before, such as much of Sunset Tree, another chance. Who knows I might still hate it and only like new stuff but I am willing to give it another go.