The Mountain Goats - Goths
(Merge)

John Darnielle, and his long running project The Mountain Goats, have been one of the most beloved artists within independent rock for the last 15 years. With 25+ LPs in their catalog, The Mountain Goats once again have authored an LP full of notable melodies and memorable lyrics that they make seem easy. 
The focus with Goths was to channel the feelings we remember as kids but still identify with as adults. This is a record thick with nostalgia with a contemplative Darnielle talking about “KROQ playing Siouxsie And The Banshees,” “guys in Motorhead jackets,” “riding in Lotus 7s” and “wearing black wherever you go.” He touches on subjects such as Robert Smith, Celtic Frost, Richard Blade, Pat Travers, Trent Reznor and D.B Cooper. Yes this is a record about Goth and 80s New Wave but it’s more about the culture and the feelings that surrounded those times. “Rain In Soho” begins the record in a menacing way with minor key piano chords and ominous backing vocalists while Darnielle touches on lone wolves and the Batcave. “Andrew Eldritch Is Moving Back To Leeds” is almost a polar opposite with a sunny lightness that is buoyed by graceful keyboards, woodwinds and a steady pace. “Wear Black” shows Darnielle doing what he does best; penning songs that are witty and humorous. It is a song about actually “wearing black” but also about the kinds of cover or cloaks we cast on ourselves from an emotional standpoint. “Abandoned Flesh” is about the band time forgot, Gene Loves Jezebel. Yes they had many highlights like being signed to a major label, being brought on stage by Billy Corgan and having charting hits but in the end, we’re all going to have to find a job sometime.
Goths is a signature Mountain Goats LP and a no-brainer if you’ve enjoyed their most recent records or were a fan of the scrappy, lo-fi home recordings from the late 90s. Of special note, we have limited copies of the deluxe, 3LP version of the record on VAMPIRE RED vinyl that includes a special 12" EP on GREEN VINYL titled; Selected Goths in Ambient featuring  4 ambient reinterpretations of tracks on the LP. It’s no surprise this very unique deluxe edition is already sold out with Merge. Act fast! (Dom)
Check out a track here.