Customer Reviews

Get Lonely

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Certainly everyone should buy this CD now -- I mean, keep the cash flow flowing -- but if you actally have had a bad breakup or, God forbid, have just lost someone you love, do not listen to it now. If you do, you will sob and sob and sob. Then "Get Lonely" itself will come on and you will sob some more. Then you will try to listen to this two years from now and you won't be able to, which will be a shame because it is really good.

And if you have seasonal depression (which is no damn joke, haters) save this one for April. I gave this the prerequisite MG "three or four times through to get the gist" and then set it aside. Oy vey already with the soft tendrils of sorrow enfolding and entwining...

The point being that I don't know how John Darnielle gets into the corner of the collective unconscious where words waiting to be written are stored, but he does. And then he seems to throw them down like pick-up sticks, each line finding its own perfect shape and place. And then you're pulled over on the side of the road hitting "repeat" again and again because that song is *your* theme song, *your* heartbreak, *your* family, *your* drunken mistake. And if having a heartbreak song like the ones on Get Lonely might *lead* to a drunken mistake... well. That's all I'm saying.

I also found myself thinking a lot about melody listening to this CD. As a reasonable singer and really terrible guitarist, I frequently regale myself with the MG songbook acapella and sometimes find myself thinking "Huh. That song actually has only four notes." Separating tunes (mainly earlier ones) from their yummy arrangements leaves them a bit nekkid. Listening back over these later CDs, and Get Lonely especially, the melodies do not depend so much on just that one arrangement, but stand by themselves and invite other interpretations. (And hast thou been to a vocal coach, John? Upper register sounding really nice!)

OK, there you go: good CD, mellow and sad, do not listen if you actually are lonely. I give this CD only four stars because you gotta have somewhere to go when the Canadians take the ice.

Tallahassee. We Shall All Be Healed. The Sunset Tree. Fresh off his "proper" trilogy with producer John Vanderslice, Darnielle decides to "Get Lonely" (Costello. "Get Happy!!!", Anyone? Anyone?). So, what does it sound like? Well...it plays in the same vein of "Sunset Tree". If you were hoping for a return to form, best to look elsewhere--but that may be a half-truth. While the album certainly is polished and layed, it' quiet and intimate too. In that sense, it is much more like Darnielle's earlier work, rather than his studio stuff. It's been a while since we've just had John and his guitar strumming along. But it happens more often than not on this outing. The lyrics are just as sharp as ever, but there's nothing really on here that will hold a candle up to Darnielle's best work--but come on, who am I kidding? It's the MOUNTAIN GOATS, it's ALL good. There is no possible way to hate this album, it's smart, sad, and catchy. What else could you possibly want to mope to? Standouts, there are: "Half Dead," "Get Lonely," and (The Not Really New) "Woke Up New". If you're new to THE MOUNTAIN GOATS, it's best to start with Tallahassee--and then maybe cheack out some of Darnielle's earlier work and work your way here. But if you're a seasoned fan...Why are you even reading this, just buy the damned thing and be done with it, you fool!

From the opening notes of the quiet piano, this album grips and doesn't let go. The arrangements are quiet. The lyrics are quiet. The passion is quiet. The sadness is quiet. But quiet because it doesn't need to be loud. Quiet because the effort of loudness would erode some of its power. I feel the need to play this album every two or three days. When I'm feeling in need of a musical treat I cue it up.

The lyrics are beautiful. Honest, interesting, straightforward, sad. And they are delivered with a mature finesse that is completely satisfying.

I'm a huge Mountain Goats fan, seeking out even their rarest material. I saw them live here in Durham last month and eagerly rushed out to get this album. I've listened to it a dozen times or more, expecting it to grow on me, but, alas, I hope this album doesn't represent any sort of future trend for John. There are some beautiful songs here; "Get Lonely," "Wild Sage," and "In the Hidden Places" are masterful works that would stand out on any other album. Unfortunately, these songs have a difficult time standing out because the whole album follows the same slow paced, moody, string-heavy formula. I have a hard time telling one song from another. John has certainly explored sorrow and lonliness to great effect before, but on albums like "the Coroner's Gambit" the sadness and lonliness is balanced with hope and anger and irony. Here, it's just one soft, slow downer after another. Worth the money if you are a Mountain Goat's junky like myself, but nowhere near his best work.

Really there is not much more to say then I have already stated on other reviews of Mountain Goats records.

Once you listen to tMG's live or on record, there is really no going back. The mp3's just do not cut it anymore.

If you love this album, then the record is really the only medium left to hear it in all of it's brilliance. If you are new to tMG's and have not heard this album, you may or may not like it. It is sort of a debatable album amongst fans. The truth of it is that it takes a few listens to really grow on you, but after awhile, some of the songs just get stuck in your head, but not in a bad way.

Worth every penny.

My "listen" comes from a very different place than some of the previous reviewers - I had never heard of The Mountain Goats before, and, to my knowledge, have never heard any of their songs before. I just borrowed this CD from someone and am going to buy it. It is very mellow and almost bittersweet. With the sound of the acoustic guitar and the singer coming through with occasional different tones overlaid (bells, piano, drums, etc.) for an almost otherworldly sound on some songs. Overall I really like the effect and the lyrics and it's a nice change from most of my collection which tends towards much higher energy, but more highly distracting stuff (of late White Stripes, Dandy Warhols and Interpol are new faves that I can think of offhand) and this is a nice mellow alternative.

Before I start, I am a seasoned Mountain Goats fan, and his early lo-fi records are some of my favorite records. But, just because it sounds different than his previous records doesn't mean it's not as good. Personally, I think this is every bit as good as Tallhassee and Sunset Tree. But, If a Mountain Goats record has to be lo-fi, aggressive, bitter or sarcastic to be a classic, than of couse you won't be satisfied with this. You have to take into consideration that this is a calm, peaceful, intimate record. Not everybody is going enjoy it as much as his previous work, you have to have the right mindset before you judge it. Like others have said, If you're a new fan, first buy Tallahassee or Sunset Tree. In my opinion, Get Lonely is a classic record in it's own right.

I was really tempted to jump up to four stars, but I feared that would have been a bias resulting from my love of The Mountain Goats. I tried hard to give Get Lonely the benefit of the doubt. The idea of the album (a collection of softer, reflective songs) excited me a lot. In the end, however, I don't think it hit the mark I was hoping for from Darnielle.

That's not saying the album's terrible. Far from it. It's a pleasant listen overall. I even really like the songs "Get Lonely" "Maybe Sprout Wings" and "Moon Over Goldsboro." Even "Woke Up New" catches your ear and plays in your head through the day. It's just that one tends to expect great things from their artists, as unfair as that may be, and this album isn't the greatness I expected. I finish listening to the album partially unsatisfied each time. The quiet sound definitely shows a promising progression in The Mountain Goats repertoire though. Darnielle's nearly whispering singing has more power than his loudest screams at times.

I strongly believe the newer Mountain Goats music (Sunset Tree, Tallahasse, etc.) to be just as good as the classic lo-fi recordings. I do not think Darnielle's golden age has passed. This album simply isn't his strongest. What was accomplished on Get Lonely may produce something great in the future though.

I've followed the MGs faithfully from boombox to lo-fi studio to the "new direction," and I've loved it all. I trust Darnielle, which is what makes me wonder if "Get Lonely" might be a
grower" - one of those records that takes a while to work its spell onto/into you.

Until then...I just don't like this one too much. There's little to catch the ear, and the songs lack the rhetorical bite of the MGs best lyrical swipes at crumbling love. Put this one up against "Sweden" (his other serious heartbreak record) and forget the issue of the fidelity - the songs just don't cut as deep. Heck, even listen to his cover of "Sometimes I Still Feel the Bruise" on the recent "Babylon Springs" and you'll hear/feel what's missing here.

I'll keep listening, keep hoping that the magic is deep down in there. But this is definitely missing the snap of my favorite MGs music.

and this year for that matter... Still in heavy rotation. Utterly infectious. This is the disc i'm gifting for everyone.