[Monkey Bones]

I know that a few others around here have already spread the news about this mesmerizing album called The Sunset Tree, but I just wanted to jump on the bandwagon and join the party and get with the crowd before they move on and leave me all alone. Listened to it a lot over the weekend and it is kind of contagious, and continue to listen to it over and over the last few days. It is highly emotional subject matter for the most part because it deals with a lot of hurt left from his childhood and abusive stepfather, but call me heartless because I think it's a fun record to listen to, with lots of clever wordsmithing to go with the imaginative music. Almost like Damien Jurado at times, but not with the latent punk tendency that occasionally jumps all over one of his songs. And not any of the Springsteen sound either. Not that there's anything wrong with Damien or Springsteen or punk, just saying that Jurado is definitely different. Maybe more like a combo of Will Oldham and the Silver Jews, but without the Jews twisted country vibe. What a great album though. I just can't stop listening. Lots of ups and downs and overs and unders. Very special album. John Vanderslice and a couple other friends on board for this one. It's got one of those cool tree covers too that have been showing up all over the place for the last year or so. What's up with that?

 

[Dusty Chalk]

John Vanderslice, huh? I just got into him -- nice, well-produced, whimsical indie-pop. I may have to hear this...

 

[ls20]

mountain goats are much, much more lo-fi than the 'well-produced' vanderslice pop sound. i guess they do both have that nasally voice. my choice for the 'goats is Tallahassee...easily

 

[Monkey Bones]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ls20 mountain goats are much, much more lo-fi than the 'well-produced' vanderslice pop sound.

Not sure that's really true anymore. I wouldn't group the recent Mountain Goats in with the lo-fi crowd. They record in a good studio and have good engineering and production work with Vanderslice and Scott Solter. And there's even some nice cello work by the well known Erik Friedlander. But they generally have more of a folk-pop sound than the whimsical pop of Vanderslice, Dusty, so not sure how much down your alley it would be, although some of it does sound similar to Vanderslice, even if never exactly whimsical. Occasionally his sound, and especially voice, even reminds me a tad of the young Stan Ridgway and his WoV. But lyrically much more serious. And the production work is more reserved than Vanderslice uses on his own stuff. If you're in the local full service CD store, definitely punch up the CD and give a listen to a few tracks. You'll probably like at least a lot of it. I'm only a recent convert, never having a complete CD of his before this latest, but it is a fantastic one and many are saying his best (with the exception of Is20, of course

).

 

[jonnyhambone]

haven't heard the latest Mtn. Goats but really like some older stuff...many songs from Bitter Melon Farm and other (very) lo-fi recordings make it onto playlists and mixed 'tapes' due to the catchy brilliance of the song-writing and, somehow, the delivery is perfect on barely tuned guitar and warbling voice. When in this mood I often go to Devendra Banhart too...very different but lo-fi, haunting songs with melodies that stay with you, odd but perfect guitar,...etc. Nice

 

[wab]

I'm raising this thread from the dead, I just got their amazing "The Sunset Tree". This is a fantastic album. I sampled a few other albums, but making lo-fi into an artform isn't really my thing. Any other MG albums that are comparable to The Sunset Tree?

 

[redrich2000]

I really like Beautiful Rat Sunset...

the boats burned in the sicilian harbor
the flames rose hundreds of feet into the air
we stood on the shore watching them burn we stood
on the shore, we heard the old songs