Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
Twenty records in, why not goof on concept and see what sticks? After recent forays into gloom (Dark in Here) and a return to his lo-fi roots (Songs for Pierre Chuvin), Mountain Goats' main man John Darnielle has taken inspiration from his COVID lockdown hobby: watching old action films, like Italy's poliziotteschi sub-genre of the '60s and '70s. The result? Making "songs with physical situations and palpable threats, something visceral for the tail end of lockdown," he has said. He goes all in from the starting gate. "Training Montage" opens with acoustic guitar and the singer describing just what the title promises: "Water dripping from the pipes down in the basement/ Bare feet on a concrete floor/ Notches on the wall of my solitary cell/ Sweat dripping out of every pore/ It feels like it takes forever/ It's maybe five minutes onscreen/ But the horns will swell, and the strings will sound/ When that flipped quarter hits ground." And then—"I'm doing this for revenge!" he bellows, and the whole thing kicks in, as triumphant as, yes, any training montage from an underdog movie. Producer Alicia Bognanno of the band Bully brings an exciting and unpredictable momentum to the proceedings, adding a wild "China Girl"-style guitar to "Mark on You"—so wild it almost seems to belong to a different song, but so intriguing you sit up and pay attention. "Guys on Every Corner" plays around with a funky backbeat and wailing sax, while the needle-pushing drum beat of "Extraction Point" never lets up and moody, moonlight-on-the-pier sax blows low and slow. Darnielle has said of "Wage Wars Get Rich Die Handsome" that, in recent years, he's shied away from fist-pumping anthems; "But here I figured, you know, no point just wading around in blood if I'm already in knee-deep." The guitar positively shreds and the bass prowls, while Darnielle builds a house of cards: "Floor the pedal at the green light/ Watch the traffic all drift right/ Barrel forward unimpeded/ Switch lanes as needed … In a world of heavy footprints/ Be untraceable." The chorus is pop-punk irresistible. Giddy "First Blood" highlights Darnielle's voice—so sharp and distinctive, but sounding as if he's about to tell a joke (he's always more of a character actor than an indie-rock leading man). He also sounds positively joyous singing, "Someday I will see you on your knees/ I'm going to make you suffer!" on "Make You Suffer." There are self-explanatory titles like "Hostages" (Springsteen-epic) and "Need More Bandages" (a post-punk tension wire). And the closer, "Bleed Out," is a seven-minute mid-tempo ballad that threatens to stick in your head for days, its aw-shucks hopelessness driving you crazy: "I'm gonna dive right in/ I can't swim"; "I will go down punching/ But I will go down/ Any my cornerman won't bring me back around." And fade to black. © Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz
More infoYou are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From €13,50/month
The Mountain Goats, MainArtist - John Darnielle, Lyricist, Author - Shani Gandhi, StudioPersonnel - Alicia Bognanno, Producer - Cadmean Dawn (ASCAP) administered by Me Gusta Music, MusicPublisher
2022 Merge Records 2022 Merge Records
The Mountain Goats, MainArtist - John Darnielle, Lyricist, Author - Shani Gandhi, StudioPersonnel - Alicia Bognanno, Producer - Cadmean Dawn (ASCAP) administered by Me Gusta Music, MusicPublisher
2022 Merge Records 2022 Merge Records
The Mountain Goats, MainArtist - John Darnielle, Lyricist, Author - Shani Gandhi, StudioPersonnel - Alicia Bognanno, Producer - Matt Douglas, Author - Cadmean Dawn (ASCAP) administered by Me Gusta Music, MusicPublisher
2022 Merge Records 2022 Merge Records
The Mountain Goats, MainArtist - John Darnielle, Lyricist, Author - Shani Gandhi, StudioPersonnel - Alicia Bognanno, Producer - Cadmean Dawn (ASCAP) administered by Me Gusta Music, MusicPublisher
2022 Merge Records 2022 Merge Records
The Mountain Goats, MainArtist - John Darnielle, Lyricist, Author - Shani Gandhi, StudioPersonnel - Alicia Bognanno, Producer - Cadmean Dawn (ASCAP) administered by Me Gusta Music, MusicPublisher
2022 Merge Records 2022 Merge Records
The Mountain Goats, MainArtist - John Darnielle, Lyricist, Author - Shani Gandhi, StudioPersonnel - Alicia Bognanno, Producer - Cadmean Dawn (ASCAP) administered by Me Gusta Music, MusicPublisher
2022 Merge Records 2022 Merge Records
The Mountain Goats, MainArtist - John Darnielle, Lyricist, Author - Shani Gandhi, StudioPersonnel - Alicia Bognanno, Producer - Cadmean Dawn (ASCAP) administered by Me Gusta Music, MusicPublisher
2022 Merge Records 2022 Merge Records
The Mountain Goats, MainArtist - John Darnielle, Lyricist, Author - Shani Gandhi, StudioPersonnel - Alicia Bognanno, Producer - Cadmean Dawn (ASCAP) administered by Me Gusta Music, MusicPublisher
2022 Merge Records 2022 Merge Records
The Mountain Goats, MainArtist - John Darnielle, Lyricist, Author - Shani Gandhi, StudioPersonnel - Alicia Bognanno, Producer - Cadmean Dawn (ASCAP) administered by Me Gusta Music, MusicPublisher
2022 Merge Records 2022 Merge Records
The Mountain Goats, MainArtist - John Darnielle, Lyricist, Author - Shani Gandhi, StudioPersonnel - Alicia Bognanno, Producer - Cadmean Dawn (ASCAP) administered by Me Gusta Music, MusicPublisher
2022 Merge Records 2022 Merge Records
The Mountain Goats, MainArtist - John Darnielle, Lyricist, Author - Shani Gandhi, StudioPersonnel - Alicia Bognanno, Producer - Cadmean Dawn (ASCAP) administered by Me Gusta Music, MusicPublisher
2022 Merge Records 2022 Merge Records
The Mountain Goats, MainArtist - John Darnielle, Lyricist, Author - Shani Gandhi, StudioPersonnel - Alicia Bognanno, Producer - Peter Hughes, Lyricist - Cadmean Dawn (ASCAP) administered by Me Gusta Music, MusicPublisher
2022 Merge Records 2022 Merge Records
Album review
Twenty records in, why not goof on concept and see what sticks? After recent forays into gloom (Dark in Here) and a return to his lo-fi roots (Songs for Pierre Chuvin), Mountain Goats' main man John Darnielle has taken inspiration from his COVID lockdown hobby: watching old action films, like Italy's poliziotteschi sub-genre of the '60s and '70s. The result? Making "songs with physical situations and palpable threats, something visceral for the tail end of lockdown," he has said. He goes all in from the starting gate. "Training Montage" opens with acoustic guitar and the singer describing just what the title promises: "Water dripping from the pipes down in the basement/ Bare feet on a concrete floor/ Notches on the wall of my solitary cell/ Sweat dripping out of every pore/ It feels like it takes forever/ It's maybe five minutes onscreen/ But the horns will swell, and the strings will sound/ When that flipped quarter hits ground." And then—"I'm doing this for revenge!" he bellows, and the whole thing kicks in, as triumphant as, yes, any training montage from an underdog movie. Producer Alicia Bognanno of the band Bully brings an exciting and unpredictable momentum to the proceedings, adding a wild "China Girl"-style guitar to "Mark on You"—so wild it almost seems to belong to a different song, but so intriguing you sit up and pay attention. "Guys on Every Corner" plays around with a funky backbeat and wailing sax, while the needle-pushing drum beat of "Extraction Point" never lets up and moody, moonlight-on-the-pier sax blows low and slow. Darnielle has said of "Wage Wars Get Rich Die Handsome" that, in recent years, he's shied away from fist-pumping anthems; "But here I figured, you know, no point just wading around in blood if I'm already in knee-deep." The guitar positively shreds and the bass prowls, while Darnielle builds a house of cards: "Floor the pedal at the green light/ Watch the traffic all drift right/ Barrel forward unimpeded/ Switch lanes as needed … In a world of heavy footprints/ Be untraceable." The chorus is pop-punk irresistible. Giddy "First Blood" highlights Darnielle's voice—so sharp and distinctive, but sounding as if he's about to tell a joke (he's always more of a character actor than an indie-rock leading man). He also sounds positively joyous singing, "Someday I will see you on your knees/ I'm going to make you suffer!" on "Make You Suffer." There are self-explanatory titles like "Hostages" (Springsteen-epic) and "Need More Bandages" (a post-punk tension wire). And the closer, "Bleed Out," is a seven-minute mid-tempo ballad that threatens to stick in your head for days, its aw-shucks hopelessness driving you crazy: "I'm gonna dive right in/ I can't swim"; "I will go down punching/ But I will go down/ Any my cornerman won't bring me back around." And fade to black. © Shelly Ridenour/Qobuz
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 12 track(s)
- Total length: 00:47:18
- Main artists: The Mountain Goats
- Label: Merge Records
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock
2022 Merge Records 2022 Merge Records
Improve album informationWhy buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.