A gentle song to start with, this begins in what the cruel might call banality but which I think of as melancholy comfort. The small moments in a majestic life

A gentle song to start with, this begins in what the cruel might call banality but which I think of as melancholy comfort. The small moments in a majestic life before it knows it's over. Like (let's face it) most people listening to Hendrix, I came to him after the

oh, I love the riff for this, the slow descending chaotic catastrophic roll of guitar with spoken words over the top. And what words. Easy to listen to, steady in

oh, I love the riff for this, the slow descending chaotic catastrophic roll of guitar with spoken words over the top. And what words. Easy to listen to, steady in pace, but setting a scene of impending pain and disaster. John's love for the vast period we think of as

There's something about John's simple, narrative, confessional songs that really strike home the most. The ones where the words are in a sense very straightforward and in another crackling with

There's something about John's simple, narrative, confessional songs that really strike home the most. The ones where the words are in a sense very straightforward and in another crackling with imagery and meaning. I can see the narrator of New Star Song with the same clarity that I see the

...wow, this feels like a time jump. We're still with the rumbling of John's tape recorder, but everything from the vocals to the instrumentation to the lyrics feels almost infinitely

...wow, this feels like a time jump. We're still with the rumbling of John's tape recorder, but everything from the vocals to the instrumentation to the lyrics feels almost infinitely more modern despite only being three years after the previous song. Which isn't or shouldn't be surprising. The gap from

Time for an odd thing to say: this is one of the most consciously songy of the songs so far. The repeated refrain of I've got a radio and the

Time for an odd thing to say: this is one of the most consciously songy of the songs so far. The repeated refrain of I've got a radio and the tight but coherent narrative break it away from the sung poetry of a lot of the cassette tape songs. There's

After two days of experimentation we return to something more foundational and closer to John's poetic and folk-inflected roots. The music here is a lyric transmission system and the recording

After two days of experimentation we return to something more foundational and closer to John's poetic and folk-inflected roots. The music here is a lyric transmission system and the recording is delightfully rough, ending with an umm... and a rush of wind on a cheap built in microphone. This is

Sometimes when you're listening to early material by an artist you can catch the moment that they get it. Not when they become successful, but a point some distance before

Sometimes when you're listening to early material by an artist you can catch the moment that they get it. Not when they become successful, but a point some distance before that where they first do something that sounds like them. There's a point in pre-Discworld Terry Pratchett's novel The Dark

In one sense, this was the song so far in this year (and in This Year) which sounded least like The Mountain Goats. Which made it the song that sounded

In one sense, this was the song so far in this year (and in This Year) which sounded least like The Mountain Goats. Which made it the song that sounded the most like The Mountain Goats. Coming to the band more than thirty years into their career it's easy to

I remember a quiet joy when I was first learning to play the guitar, of working out things that I considered to be cheats. I was never a good guitarist,

I remember a quiet joy when I was first learning to play the guitar, of working out things that I considered to be cheats. I was never a good guitarist, but one reason guitar is such a popular instrument is that the level of good you have to be before

The early songs of John Darnielle are like brilliant notes on index cards. Actually, not index cards. Receipts, bank deposit slips, Chinese food menus. They're urgent thoughts that spit an

The early songs of John Darnielle are like brilliant notes on index cards. Actually, not index cards. Receipts, bank deposit slips, Chinese food menus. They're urgent thoughts that spit an idea out as it's still forming, and they're all the better for that. if you want a record of exactly

So this is an interesting one. It comes from a compilation called Back to the Egg, Asshole which appears to be a multi artist mixtape where all the songs have

So this is an interesting one. It comes from a compilation called Back to the Egg, Asshole which appears to be a multi artist mixtape where all the songs have the same names as Beatles songs, described as An unplugged anti-tribute to Paul McCartney that features no Paul McCartney songs.

Wow, this is early. A song from the first Mountain Goats cassette. In fact, the first song from that first cassette. It couldn't be more simple in terms of the

Wow, this is early. A song from the first Mountain Goats cassette. In fact, the first song from that first cassette. It couldn't be more simple in terms of the looping rhythm, and at one minute thirty four it's very much more an immediate thought than a fleshed out idea,

One of the first things I notice about this song, and I'll confess it's not one I'd heard before now, is something very familiar. An old friend from countless other

One of the first things I notice about this song, and I'll confess it's not one I'd heard before now, is something very familiar. An old friend from countless other places: the soft musical drone of John Darnielle's tape recorder. This is early Mountain Goats, before the band was more