Well, if one thing, John Darnielle, lead goat in his clan of Mountain Goats, is quite creative. Let us surround our songs around biblical texts is not something that many folk rockers go to (unless they are trying to get into the Christian Music scene). While, yes, if this album was not done by such a skilled craftsman like Darnielle, it probably would have turned into a complete disaster, it was, and we get to reap the benefits of such skilled work.
There is a dark beauty to Darnielle’s ever-changing voice and lyric. The themes that present themselves (like death) are not uplifiting and won’t have you dancing around or singing along. There is a more likely chance that in exploring themes that everyone must deal with, listeners will relate, and shed tears to the sound of Darnielle’s pained croon. This, by no means, suggests that you not take a listen to the album. It would be a crime not to listen to these songs. Just like bible verses themselves, Darnielle’s songs simply portray situations; it is up to you how you respond to them.
My response was simple. Awe. I have always been impressed by Darnielle’s passionate and highly literate lyric. His immense feeling seeps through the speakers and entraps you. The music does not hurt either. It has improved in this album. Often lost in The Mountain Goats is the fact that there are two other members in the band who participate to the song sounds and harmonies. Simple chord progressions are backed by interesting riffs and keyboard in this album, as well as, a fantastic appearance of rising drums in “Genesis: 30:3.” So, shall we get into some of these most anticipated lyrics.
For Darnielle’s lyric I would like to focus on them beyond a religious perspective. I feel as if one goes Google searching for bible verses they may be disappointed in a fruitless search for connections between the verses and Darnielle’s “verses.” I love puns. The lyrics can very well be in songs without biblical titles.
Let’s take one song and I will demonstrate for you why John Darnielle’s lyric propels him above most musicians today.
There is something rather shocking about Darnielle’s lyric. He seemingly can take any topic and slow it down for a brief look into human emotion. In “Matthews 25:21,” Darnielle begins the song by singing:
“They hook you up
To a fentanyl drip
To mitigate the pain a little bit
I flew in
From Pennsylvania
When I heard the hour was coming fast
And I docked in San Barbara
Tried to brace myself
You can’t brace yourself”
The story is set. A fentanyl drip is the commonly used opiate for cancer patients or the terminally ill. We can clearly see that the song is about a character finding out that someone near to them is in their last stages of dying of cancer. Darnielle continues the song by saying:
“And I’m an eighteen-wheeler headed down the interstate
And my breaks are going to give
And I won’t know till it’s too late
Tires screaming when I lose control
Try not to hurt too many people when I roll”
This metaphor is suggesting that the character understands that the person will die; yet, he cannot bring himself to cry. He knows it will happen and he attempts to brace himself. And, when the song ends Darnielle writes:
“And you were a presence full of light upon this earth
And I am a witness to your life and to it’s worth
It’s three days later when I get the call
And there’s nobody around to break my fall.”
It is three days later when he learns of the person’s death and no one is there to catch him as he breaks down like the eighteen wheeler without breaks flying off into a visible night. Darnielle is a master craftsman and, once again, he has taken the untouchable topics of life and has molded them into beautiful and emotional music.
A Perfect 5 stars out of 5 stars
Performance of Ezekiel 7 and the Permanent Efficacy of Grace (Track on new album): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQ-zZJu6LKI
The Music Court 