#mountaingoats

The Mountain Goats: Tallahassee (4AD CAD 2215, 2008) Goddamn though. This album, originally released in 2002, still kills me. The final word on Darnielle’s Alpha Couple, the fictional duo who live to destroy each other and their livers as their house rots around them. And yet there is still so much loving gentleness and warmth. And hate. It’s human. Love is scary. @vinylrecords@fedigroups.social #vinyl #MountainGoats

The Mountain Goats: We Shall All Be Healed (4AD CAD2401, 2004) For me, this was the 1-2-3 punch after West Texas and Tallahassee that absolutely knocked me out. Exhilarating, terrifying (esp now that I’m a parent) and beautifully damaged. “A tiger’s never gonna change its stripes. I guess, I guess, but Jesus what a mess” still gets to me every time I hear it. @vinylrecords@fedigroups.social #vinyl #MountainGoats

The Mountain Goats: Come, Come to the Sunset Tree (self-released CAD-2508, 2005) 1000 copies pressed. Handmade covers. Mine is #374 and is decorated with paint and a page from a boxing magazine. Home recorded versions of songs from The Sunset Tree minus the ones they did for John Peel’s show, which together make a perfect companion piece. @vinylrecords@fedigroups.social #vinyl #mountaingoats

The Mountain Goats: All Eternals Deck (Merge MRG405, 2011) Their first release on Merge. More mellow and pretty than previous stuff. Lots of electric piano. “Estate Sale Sign” is my favorite because it’s the most frantic and old school. @vinylrecords@fedigroups.social #vinyl #MountainGoats

The Mountain Goats: Transcendental Youth (Merge MRG446, 2012) This record sounds really good. Lots of horns. Big budget Mountain Goats! Hopeful stories about hopeless people. Great energy. I should listen to this one more. @vinylrecords@fedigroups.social #vinyl #MountainGoats

The Mountain Goats: Beat the Champ (Merge MRG516, 2015) I pre-ordered this twice. Forgot I’d already done it. Gave my extra copy to a dad on my son’s lacrosse team who subscribed to Third Man’s vault series. Never heard back and it’s tacky to inquire about gifts so I’ll never know if he liked it. I do though. @vinylrecords@fedigroups.social #vinyl #MountainGoats

The Mountain Goats: Goths (Merge MRG579, 2017) No guitars. 2x45rpm. Vinyl sounds great. Side A is my fave of the four. Good songs and dope electric piano tones but there’s way too much sax for my personal taste, and while I appreciate JD stretching out as a songwriter and bandleader, this type of sophistication is generally just not my bag. @vinylrecords@fedigroups.social #vinyl #MountainGoats

The Mountain Goats: Songs for Pierre Chuvin (Merge MRG744, 2021) Remember April 2020? It was bad. This album helped. A lot. Ten songs from the pov of the pagans as their culture was being eradicated, recorded at home and released on cassette in the middle of a goddamn pandemic when there was literally no hope in sight. @vinylrecords@fedigroups.social #vinyl #MountainGoats

The Mountain Goats: Bleed Out (Merge MRG799, 2022) I like my vinyl like my coffee (black) but this “high-velocity spatter” looks pretty cool. Got it for $10 from Merge’s “dings & dents” sale. Produced by Alicia Bognanno from Bully. Lots of guitar, not too much sax, all bangers. @vinylrecords@fedigroups.social #vinyl #MountainGoats

The Mountain Goats: Jenny from Thebes (Merge MRG841, 2023) My last tMG record. And their last on Merge. A sequel (of sorts) to All Hail West Texas, it focuses on the Jenny character and fleshes her out (a little) but more than anything it fleshes out JD’s desire to write musical theater, and his next album was even more so which is why it made sense for Lin-Manuel Miranda to sing on it. @vinylrecords@fedigroups.social #vinyl #MountainGoats