The Mountain Goats - AllEternals Deck

Wed 11th May, 2011 in Music Reviews

For a long time now, The Mountain Goats have been anything but your “average” band. There was a time when The Goats were in fact a party of one, with John Darnielle writing under the moniker and even performing shows with an acoustic guitar and introducing himself in the plural form. The recording sessions were rather primitive (it being the nineties and before the popularity of Pro Tools) where DIY consisted of capturing things on your boombox.

Fast forward to 2011 and Darnielle is joined by Peter Hughes (bass) and Jon Wurster (drums) for their third record with the current line-up and the 13th one overall. Like the bad old days, Darnielle adopted a different – albeit polished – process for the recording, assembling the group at no less than four studios in four different American states. To say it was ambitious is an understatement and almost had a cast of thousands when you consider the different producers: John Congleton, Brandon Eggleston, Scott Solter and Erik Rutan (Morbid Angel, Hate Eternal) and in spite of all this, things sounds pretty damn cohesive.

The inspiration for All Eternals Deck came from some rather unlikely sources, including centuries old paintings and 70s cult films. Thematically, the songs reference things that are hidden; a fear of the unknown; and smoke and mirrors. But this is all presented in Darnielle’s trademark poetic style that is equal parts abstract, surreal, emotive and heartfelt. Interestingly, the LP was partially written while Darnielle was working as a psychiatric nurse and the armature psychologists out there can make of that what they will.

Darnielle’s vocals are very distinctive, sitting somewhere between Billy Corgan’s angst and Brian Molko’s bleak tone. Musically, the tracks are like a cross between Bob Dylan and Fleet Foxes, where indie folk is the main order of the day with large side servings of whimsical acoustic guitar riffs and piano flourishes.

On Age of Kings the listener is treated to a ballad that could be performed by Youth Group before it segues off into a luscious string landscape. Beautiful Gas Mask inhabits the kind of easy-listening pop territory that is usually reserved for the likes of The Eagles and Fleetwood Mac, while The Autopsy Garland is like a broody Crowded House number (that is, if the latter decided they want to rant about capitalism and California fakery).

All Eternals Deck uses subtle stripped down elements to create rich, contemplative music. Darnielle is the kind of artist who doesn’t so much write songs as create actual tapestries where the music is just as important as the lyrical narrative. And while the record is about the unknown and uncovering all manner of hidden things, with enough spins you’ll realise this nuanced album is hiding a few things of it’s own beneath the surface.