The Mountain Goats - Amoeba Music - 8/22/06

Originally uploaded by ryanfoley.

On the same day as the record release of his new album, Get Lonely, John Darnielle passed through town for a free show. The simple setup, just him and a guitar, made all the songs sound more like his old recordings, before his switch to 4AD records.

I personally prefer the stripped, lo-fi, early recordings to the new, polished ones. But both are great, and The Mountain Goats are easily my number one listened-to band, according to last.fm. So take the rest of this post with the same amount of salt you'd take if I were reviewing Dennis Kucinich for President.

I went to the show alone, but Mike, Karin, Evan, and Amber were there and somehow spotted me in the crowd. A phone call later and I was within 20 feet of the stage.

I think the most praised aspect of The Mountain Goats is the literary song writing. It certainly isn't the production value or honey dew singing. And although the tunes are subtly complicated (if that makes any sense... they're complicated, but you might not notice all of the references or that little key change right away), I always thought the best aspect of The Mountain Goats was the passion and truth behind the words. Years ago, I might have called it emo. But it is distinct. Much like Destroyer or the Decemberists, The Mountain Goats make stories with musical accompaniment.

In the middle of No, I Can't, which is essentially a list of things given to a man by an ex-lover, you really understand the meaning behind the words when he yells Thanks for the filing cabinet / I don't know what I did without it. And this came through incredibly well in the live show. When John stopped playing guitar for a few measures in the middle of a song and just let his strained, somewhat sour voice carry through the record store, you understand the (perceived) importance of the words.

The set was predictably short. And for an artist with several hundred songs, it was painfully short. Most of the set was off the new album, which isn't what the die-hards beg for. But I can't really complain. It's like asking for the Canterbury Tales to shoot up to the top of the best-sellers' list.

Some older tracks. He played Goldenboy at the show.

The Mountain Goats - Cubs In Five

The Mountain Goats - Goldenboy