Customer Reviews

Life of the World to Come (Dig)

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

 

 

Another year, another Mountain Goats album. The constantly metamorphosing folk project of singer/songwriter John Darnielle, The Life of the World to Come is their 17th album in 18 years, an impressive number for any band, much less one man. Coming a little over a year and a half after 2008's excellent Heretic Pride, Life features Darnielle turning to that massive old tome which has fascinated and ensnared many a bard before him: the Bible. A concept album of sort, each title in this twelve-song set is named after a particular verse relating, in one way or another, to the intensely personal, highly literate tales that have become the Mountain Goats' hallmark.

But lest you think Darnielle has become Christian rock's newest poet, consider that the Mountain Goats have always worked their best magic under practically hymnal conditions, intertwining Darnielle's heartbreakingly honest, slice-of-life lyrics and colorful metaphors with subtle instrumentation and mellow folk. Taking up where 2005's Get Lonely left off and eschewing the fleshed-out (for the Goats, anyways) production of Heretic Pride, this latest nails just what makes the Mountain Goats such a long-lived project in a world that really doesn't reward intelligent, thoughtful songwriting. From the somber strumming of opener "1 Samuel 15:23" to the soft boil of dark closer "Ezekiel 7 and the Permanent Efficacy of Grace," Darnielle uses the templates of these passages to reflect on his own life experiences, to meditate on the struggles and triumphs that mankind goes through every day and, in doing so, creates an album that strikes right at the core of the human condition.

This may sound unbearably pompous to strangers of Darnielle's work, but it's his straightforward way of doing things and imitable way with words that immediately disarm. After you've heard his fragile voice crack without any sense of self-consciousness on the frantic build-up of "Psalms 40:2" or heard his tragic recollection of a loved one's cancer and death on the poignant "Matthew 25:21," it becomes obvious that Darnielle remains one of (if not the) best songwriters of his generation. The understated production here serves only to reinforce the strength of the words at the forefront, as the Life of the World to Come is almost brazen in its stylistic singularity, maintaining the same basic mix throughout of acoustic guitar, a heavy dose of piano, and some string and orchestra flourishes courtesy of Final Fantasy's Owen Pallett. This leaves Darnielle and his wavering, all-too-imperfect vocals to sink or swim on their own. And whether he's singing an earnest tale of love on "Genesis 30:3" or narrating the thoughts of a lonely prisoner in "1 John 4:16," Darnielle is more than capable of keeping himself afloat.

To be fair, the Mountain Goats shtick does get tired over the course of the album, particularly the sobering stretch of tunes that begins with the aforementioned "1 John 4:16" and continues through "Deuteronomy 2:10." The similar feel of the down tempo tunes tends to blend into one each other, making it unfortunately difficult to tell the songs apart from each other, at least musically. Nor is Darnielle committed to creating a record that will appeal to the casual listener; The Life of the World to Come is an album in the truest sense, with perhaps only "Genesis 3:23" and "Philippians 3:20-21," with their comparatively lively pop structures, making a case for single-worthy status.

Nevertheless, what Darnielle does best is write songs that can resonate with anybody, no matter their musical disposition, and in that respect Life is a tremendous success. With some of his most naked writing in years focused by the narrative framework of the Bible and a return to the sparse accompaniment that characterized their earlier works, Darnielle and company have again created a strong contender for folk record of the year.

For any and all fans of the Mountain Goats,

After listening to this album all morning, I can honestly say that this has quickly become one of my favorite tMG's albums. I do not think I enjoy is more than "We Shall Be Healed" or "All Hail West Texas", but it has already surpassed "Get Lonely" and "Heretic Pride", both albums that I love. As for its place with "Tallahassee" and "The Sunset Tree", I just think that I cannot decide yet.

The album opens slowly, not quite as understated as "Wild Sage" is for an album opener, but still soft and cool. Then we move quickly into "Psalms" which hits nicely, heavier, and still with the lyrics of John Darnielle which always echo towards a quite desperation, an overall voice of hope in a time of confusion and let-down. The album continues this pattern of softer songs, some solo type works with just John and the piano or guitar, and a few full band rockers, but nothing nearly as hard-hitting as "Lovecraft in Brooklyn" or anything along those lines.

High Points for me:
"1 John 4:16" is simply amazing. This songs sang directly to me. I could not think of anything except past loves and desires, not to mention trying to look forward in these scary times of stress and loss. Whenever John sings "I know that you thinking of me because it's just about to rain" I almost break down. I have now listen to the track at least six times and cannot get over it.

Low Point:
So if you buy from here, you get a bonus track, but also check on the apple site because they have a different bonus track that you can download as a single. I recommend spending the buck on that, but it is a low point because I hate to give apple my money at all and I hate when the record companies release songs like this, forcing you to go to a certain company that you may not like when all you want to do is listen to someone that you like.
Also, as for the album, I can see someone finding it a bit boring. It reminds me in a way of "Get Lonely" in that sense. It is slow and understating, which may turn some people away. Give it a chance and listen to it a few times. It might take a few passes to really start catching those John Darnielle lines. I know every fan of tMGs has certain lines that speak to them, so give it a shot, but as for a pop album, it can be kind of slow and lacking in dynamics.

To sum up everything here: This is a 5 star album, no doubt about it, but is it for everyone? No. This is not an album that just anyone will enjoy, but that is the same for all of the albums from The Mountain Goats. Also, give it a few passes before you place judgment. If you are a fan of the lo-fi folk style, you are not going to get any of that. If you are a fan of the "Get Lonely"/"The Sunset Tree" style, then I think you will enjoy this one for sure. With all of the piano work on this album (by far the most of any album so far by John), a lot of the songs are in the style of the tracks from "Satanic Messiah" and "Black Pear Tree".

I hope I covered the album well enough for everyone here. I know if you are new to tMGs, then all of these references will go right over you, but if you like what you have heard so far, trust me, you will soon know all of these songs and albums very well. This is just another stellar piece of artwork in a long string of brilliant albums. Get it!

I was almost reluctant to buy this as (except for Lovecraft in Brooklyn) I was not too wild about Heretic Pride. Life of the World to Come took me totally and pleasantly by surprise. No one goes straight to the heart like John Darnielle and I'm not talking in a sentimental or sickly sweet way. The songwriting indicates someone who took his talent and became it's master. The arrangements are perfect and some have a jazzy, Joni Mitchell feel to them that works very well. 1 John 4;16 (?) and Matthew 21;24 (tracks 8 and 9) are some of the most sublimely beautiful songs that Darnielle has ever written. Who else could write such a beautiful song about watching someone you love die as the Matthew 21;24 song proves. Hard to call one MGs album my favorite but this is up there wityh We Shall All Be Healed, The Sunset Tree and All Hail West Texas for me. This may surpass The Aeroplane Over The Sea as my favorite record of all time.

This is my favorite album from 2009. I've been listening to it every day for a few weeks. There are no weak songs, and listening to the whole thing from start to finish adds to the appreciation of the individual parts.
Each song is a story, some relating to other songs, some standing alone.
This is a very accessible album. Listen to one or two songs - if you like the sound right away, you'll like the whole thing.

It was good, but of course, it's good; it's the Mountain Goats. Don't you know?