Word: mountains
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...naive rarely succeed in the music world; the embitters, jaded and cynical usually help the innocent to an early defeat. In John Darnielle's world, if naivete fares no better than in real life, at leas his futility is captivating. The writer-vocalist-guitarist of the Mountain Goats demonstrated his earnestness last week at the Middle East, offering the latest in a series of swan songs that make up his live appearances...
...clever performer and a witty lyricist, the man behind the Mountain Goats on his own terms stands as a giant of the bedroom-music scene. No matter that his following bears more resemblance to a secret club than music fans. Or that his set list is a conglomeration of travel itineraries and Latin aphorisms. With a broad smile and a warm hello, the club president is open and welcoming, and his concerts are large circles of friends who are all too eager to invite you into their slightly abnormal lives...
Darnielle's performances, like his music, are bitter yet endearing--songs range from unsettling weirdness to striking beauty. For an hour and a half at the Middle East Upstairs Concert Hall, the Mountain Goats put forth much of both, simultaneously soothing and unsettling a rather overeager but courteous audience. Pleasing a crowd that could have convinced unbelievers with a glimpse into the life of a Mountain Goat...
...anyone who misses the angst of early Morrissey or is weary of production levels beyond what can be accomplished in a high-schooler's bedroom--or anyone who has waited for a friend for hours in the pouring rain--the ballads of the Mountain Goats soar with innocence and purity. For anyone who can stand fervent strumming on an acoustic guitar and isn't bored watching a one-man ban rather than the recent group efforts of ska, Darnielle's music is amusing enough to be entertaining...
...arrangements are never what they seem to be. He creates what appear to be simple folk songs with minimal instrumentation, yet his melodies are never mellow or folky. More urgent and driving than amny guitar heavy bands, his music is more punk than crunchy. In fact, the Mountain Goats emerged from the lo-fi movement swelling in southern California in the early '90s that set itself on forging simultaneously sloppiness and precision...