Goats go forward

The Mountain Goats
"The Life of the World to Come"
Release Date: 10/6
Record Label: 4AD
Rating: B

The voice of folk outfit The Mountain Goats is the epitome of an acquired taste.

John Darnielle, the man who has been the incarnation's one constant through 18 years and 16 albums has made a career out of creating sparse and intimate recordings sung through a half-talk/half-sing nasal vocal inflection. His work mostly deals with the darker side of life, delving into death and detriment. The man rarely lets the sun shine on his tales.

Fans of the band need not worry, because this newest batch of songs are just as dark as ever. However, Darnielle has switched things up a bit by giving his most recent work a bit of a concept.

The tracks on "The Life of the World to Come" are all inspired by and titled for Bible verses instrumental to the songwriter's creations. Faith, or a lack-thereof, is the album's overarching sentiment.

Darnielle has never been a stranger to using God or faith in his lyrics, so something of this magnitude should come as no surprise to repeat listeners. Wisely, he does not make the verses a crutch. They are just the basis for more death pondering and insight into the melting of relationships.

Sonically the album takes cues from the last few records in his catalogue. Songs begin minimally and sometimes build up to full instrumentation. For the first time though, piano almost overtakes acoustic guitar as the album's predominant instrument. It is what drives most of these tracks, adding somber tones or driving ones, whichever the song's mood calls for.

John Darnielle has been putting out tunes for nearly two decades and is showing no signs of slowing down. Fans of the artist better hope he does not wake up anytime soon with a positive life outlook, or these songs of despair could be no longer.

Or maybe he will just look to the Torah or Book of Mormon next time he needs inspiration.

Luke McCormick can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 275