there’s gonna come a day when you’ll feel better, you’ll rise up easy on that day
John Darnielle and the Mountain Goats hit Denver’s Bluebird Theater tonight with Kaki King, in a show billed as “The Last Happy Night of Your Life.” That sounds promising. I am truly madly deeply looking forward to seeing Darnielle if I manage to get the U-Haul truck loaded in my driveway in time (it’s moving weekend!). I hope to not miss it.
Darnielle is one of the most piercing lyricists of our generation, writing songs that combine hyperliterate mythical/biblical imagery with eviscerating emotional honesty. He has a way of writing a lyric that hones in on exactly the way a situation feels, and even though you’d never thought to express it in those words yourself, it feels like he’s coalescing a truth inside you that you’ve known all your life.
Take a listen to these alternate versions of songs from the limited-edition vinyl Come, Come To The Sunset Tree. According to the cover, “this vinyl edition of the sunset tree consists of songs recorded at home in north carolina.”
Love Love Love (demo) – The Mountain Goats [lyrics]
You Or Your Memory (demo) – The Mountain Goats [lyrics]
Up The Wolves (demo) – The Mountain Goats [lyrics]
There’s also a great interview with Darnielle on the Denver Post’s site right now, where Darnielle reveals a recent obsession with Amy Grant (oh John, the songs I could sing) and talks about the catharsis of this amazing song live in concert:
This Year (live in San Francisco) – The Mountain Goats [lyrics]
[from this set from Noise Pop in San Francisco; still one of the best live recordings I’ve heard from TMG]
Name: Heather Browne
Another great post, I saw the first night in Chicago, both he and Kaki were fantastic. He played Wizard Buys A Hat, which, it should be mentioned is available as a pay what you want download here: http://satanicmessiah.com/
And since we’re all downloading buddies, might you know where to find all of Come, Come To The Sunset Tree.
John — October 18, 2008 @ 9:58 pm
I saw the Mountain Goats in Milwaukee the second night, and while they were a little more subdued than last time I saw them, they were still excellent. The Satanic Messiah EP is awesome and the tracks off the MG Kaki King EP were great as well. Now I wish I bought it.
All in all, a great show. And it is true that seeing the Mountain Goats can be one of the happiest days of your life.
Andy Krunt — October 20, 2008 @ 9:16 am
REALLY enjoying “love love love” right now. Yes, the lyrics are where it’s at for them. Nice post thank you!
Thomas — October 20, 2008 @ 2:00 pm
someday will come that day!
Parantar — October 20, 2008 @ 8:37 pm