February 4 - Going to Tennessee

The beauty of the Mountain Goats as a band, a project, whatever, is that they know no limits in terms of genre or experimentation. ThHis is especially true later in the band's progression, but even close-ish to the start as we are now the progress of listening to John work out things that his guitar can do is often the process of listening to him wander through genres.

The chord progression, and especially the way John builds the roll of the chords, puts me very much in mind of Nick Drake, which contrasts with lyrics that are much closer to the earth than the pink tinged clouds Drake sailed through. John is at his best when he keeps his eyes close to the pavement, to individual relationships and moments and feelings, knowing that each of them contain the universe in miniature. The sun may be setting on Memphis but the view of a moment in the lives of two people is a view of all humanity. We are all alive.

And sometimes all of us transition into house music at 3:09