45rpm Double Vinyl LP!
One of Stereogum's "The 50 Best Albums Of 2017 So Far"!
The theme this time around is goth, a subject closer to my heart perhaps than that of any Mountain Goats album previous. And while John writes the songs, as he always has, it feels more than ever like heÂ’s speaking for all of us in the band, erstwhile goths (raises hand) or otherwise, for these are songs that approach an identity most often associated with youth from a perspective that is inescapably adult. Anyone old enough to have had the experience of finding oneself at sea in a cultural landscape thatÂ’s suddenly indecipherable will empathize with Pat Travers showing up to a Bauhaus show looking to jam, for example.
But underneath the outward humor, there is evident throughout a real tenderness toward, and solidarity with, our former fellow travelers—the friends whose bands never made it out of Fender’s Ballroom, the Gene Loves Jezebels of the world—the ones whose gothic paths were overtaken by the realities of life, or of its opposite. It’s something we talk about a lot, how fortunate and grateful we are to share this work, a career that’s become something more rewarding and fulfilling than I think any of us could have imagined. We all know how easily it could’ve gone the other way, and indeed for a long time did. — Peter Hughes, February 2017, Charlotte, NC
"This is easily one of the top-five easy listening concept albums about darkness-obsessed '80s subcultures that you will hear this year. John Darnielle writes about all the intricacies of Californian goth life — the sunshine beating down on black clothes, the rumors about a skinhead fight at a show in Pomona, the fond memories of the aging musicians who had to get real jobs — with an easy, eloquent empathy. And on his band's first-ever guitar-free album, he's found a lush, full-bodied cinematic sweep, an amazing come-up for a project that was once just one guy, an acoustic guitar, and a boom box." - Tom Breihan, Stereogum
Features:
• Double Vinyl LP
• 45rpm
• Gatefold jacket with full printed lyrics
• Spot-gloss detail
• Album illustration by Leela Corman
• Limited time code for full album download (LP3)
Selections:
LP 1
1. Rain In Soho
2. Andrew Eldritch Is Moving Back To Leeds
3. The Grey King And The Silver Flame Attunement
4. We Do It Different On The West Coast
5. Unicorn Tolerance
6. Stench Of The Unburied
LP 2
1. Wear Black
2. Paid In Cocaine
3. Rage Of Travers
4. Shelved
5. For The Portuguese Goth Metal Bands
6. Abandoned Flesh
One of Stereogum's "The 50 Best Albums Of 2017 So Far"!
The theme this time around is goth, a subject closer to my heart perhaps than that of any Mountain Goats album previous. And while John writes the songs, as he always has, it feels more than ever like heÂ’s speaking for all of us in the band, erstwhile goths (raises hand) or otherwise, for these are songs that approach an identity most often associated with youth from a perspective that is inescapably adult. Anyone old enough to have had the experience of finding oneself at sea in a cultural landscape thatÂ’s suddenly indecipherable will empathize with Pat Travers showing up to a Bauhaus show looking to jam, for example.
But underneath the outward humor, there is evident throughout a real tenderness toward, and solidarity with, our former fellow travelers—the friends whose bands never made it out of Fender’s Ballroom, the Gene Loves Jezebels of the world—the ones whose gothic paths were overtaken by the realities of life, or of its opposite. It’s something we talk about a lot, how fortunate and grateful we are to share this work, a career that’s become something more rewarding and fulfilling than I think any of us could have imagined. We all know how easily it could’ve gone the other way, and indeed for a long time did. — Peter Hughes, February 2017, Charlotte, NC
"This is easily one of the top-five easy listening concept albums about darkness-obsessed '80s subcultures that you will hear this year. John Darnielle writes about all the intricacies of Californian goth life — the sunshine beating down on black clothes, the rumors about a skinhead fight at a show in Pomona, the fond memories of the aging musicians who had to get real jobs — with an easy, eloquent empathy. And on his band's first-ever guitar-free album, he's found a lush, full-bodied cinematic sweep, an amazing come-up for a project that was once just one guy, an acoustic guitar, and a boom box." - Tom Breihan, Stereogum
Features:
• Double Vinyl LP
• 45rpm
• Gatefold jacket with full printed lyrics
• Spot-gloss detail
• Album illustration by Leela Corman
• Limited time code for full album download (LP3)
Selections:
LP 1
1. Rain In Soho
2. Andrew Eldritch Is Moving Back To Leeds
3. The Grey King And The Silver Flame Attunement
4. We Do It Different On The West Coast
5. Unicorn Tolerance
6. Stench Of The Unburied
LP 2
1. Wear Black
2. Paid In Cocaine
3. Rage Of Travers
4. Shelved
5. For The Portuguese Goth Metal Bands
6. Abandoned Flesh
