Web MasterThe Mountain Goats
Tallahassee
4ad Records
Grazing with the goats feels right
by Robbie Gross
The Mountain Goats newest album, Tallahassee, should end a decade of ostensible obscurity for the band. Led throughout the years by John Darnielle, the band – mostly a duo, along with multi-instrumentalist Peter Hughes – has garnered a small but loyal following with simple, stripped-down guitar, and lyrics with familiar characters.
Tallahassee follows the, more or less, traditional Mountain Goats formula of lyrics over instrumentation. With most tracks sporting solely Darnielle and his acoustic guitar, occasionally with a subtle tambourine, or in the case of “The House that Dripped Blood,” forceful harmonica, the words are without question at the album’s core. The fourteen tracks that make up the album tell of the “Alpha” couple, a feuding, alcoholic, married couple on the verge of collapse whose story has appeared in previous Mountain Goats albums. With stunning honesty and, at times, haunting imagery, Darnielle paints a vivid portrait of the couple and the anger and sadness that so often permeates their lives. The sentimental optimism in “Game Shows Touch our Lives,” exhibits the husband asserting, “Everything’s going to be alright / Maybe tomorrow / Maybe the next day,” as the couple waste the days watching victorious game show contestants. Such beautiful hope is only temporary, however, as we listen to the marriage continue to falter, culminating with the so-sad-it’s-humorous track, “No Children,” highlighted by the husband’s line, “I hope you die / I hope we both die.” Indeed, the humor in the album, as juxtaposed with brutal sadness, is reminiscent of early (and furious) Tom Waits, whose influence is clear in the track, and first single off the album, “See America Right,” one of only two tracks that features emphatic percussion.
Where Darnielle clearly differs from Waits is in his vocals. Oscillating between sweetness and eeriness, the nasal earnestness of The Mountain Goats frontman at times sounds like a tormented hybrid of Ben Folds and Dan Bern. One thing is for certain, however. By the album’s conclusion, one cannot help but feel attached in a meaningful way to Darnielle’s vocals, and his characters’ plight. And when, towards the end of the album in “International Small Arms Traffic Blues” Darnielle sweetly, softly sings, “Our love is like the border between Greece and Albania,” the metaphor is laughable, but somehow, it feels right. The album, itself, is no different.
Bottom Line:
” By the album’s conclusion, one cannot help but feel attached in a meaningful way to Darnielle’s vocals, and his characters’ plight.
Grade: B+
The Bangs
Call and Response EP
Kill Rock Stars
Banging on the edge but not schizo
by Travis Petersen
The latest release from Olympia, Washington’s Bangs is loud, fast, short and sweet. Holdovers from the Riot Girl era, this power trio-two young women and one young man-have all of that movement’s attitude and energy without the self-important pretension that marred some of those bands. That doesn’t mean that the Bangs have nothing to say, it just means that they choose to let the force of the music do the talking.
The EP starts off, appropriately enough, with a bang. The opening title track kicks in quickly with a punky, driven stomp, guitarist Sarah Utter and bassist Maggie Vail’s tag-team vocals offering a trade between all-out shouting and mannered new wave charm. Though the song has no refrain, hooks stick in the listener’s head from each verse and breakdown. The album continues that way through six songs in sixteen minutes, the band executing slick power pop, sexy garage blues, and even heavy metal along the way.
The meshing of different rock subgenres leads to a schizophrenic feel on many recordings, but here the band’s technical skill and each member’s unique playing style make these songs feel original. Drummer Peter David Connelly manages to hold down a steady beat while bashing away like an over-enthusiastic kindergartner. Maggie Vail’s basslines groove while remaining distorted and unpredictable. And Sarah Utter’s lead work recalls that of the more metallic of the Seattle grunge bands. In fact, the intro riff to the EP’s final track, “Dirty Knives,” sounds suspiciously like Soundgarden’s “Rusty Cage,” but the track is worthwhile on its own merits as well.
This album is best listened to start-to-finish, so that its quick flash can beat the listener into well-enjoyed submission. The only chance to catch a breath amidst all of the uptempo energy is the third track, the slowed down, organ driven pop song, “Kinda Good.” The track is melodic, catchy, and a welcome respite from the wild madness of the rest of the album. As soon as it is over, though, the listener is again plunged into rock and roll abandon, which does not let up until those sixteen short minutes are up. The best thing about the EP format is that it eliminates the filler, and there is little fat on this album. The worst thing about the EP format is that if all of the tracks are good, the listener is left wanting more. The Bangs have left this listener wanting more.
Bottom Line:
“Short and sweet, this EP leaves listeners wanting more. ”
Grade: B+