4AD, 2005
The Sunset Tree is the latest album recorded -- and soon, released -- by The Mountain Goats, the brainchild of musician John Darnielle. The Sunset Tree's precursor, Dilaudid EP, features several songs that make their full impact in this more complete collection of music, including the excellent "This Year," perhaps the most addicting song on the album, its simple piano and frantically -- yet fascinatingly rhythmically -- strummed acoustic guitar accenting the major style of the album.
Many aspects of The Sunset Tree stand out, particularly Darnielle's lyrics, with the story-telling and metaphors provided allowing for an in-depth listening experience, and what an experience it is! In "Up the Wolves," Darnielle belts out, "I'm going to bribe the officials! I'm going to kill all the judges! It's going to take you people years to recover from all of the damage!" in a perfect example of the unique lyrical quality he bestows on The Mountain Goats.
Beyond the lyrics, though, there is a world of other admirable qualities to explore in The Moutain Goats. Darnielle's dominant acoustic guitar and soft-spoken voice (though, at times, his singing is not soft-spoken, his vocal style certainly maintains such) provide an excellent base for the album, but are not the only factor involved.
Occasionally, a cello enters into the mix, with absolutely wonderful results, most notably in "Dilaudid," where it contributes a frantic pace and feel -- much more so than the alternate version, with guitar replacing the cello, found on Dilaudid EP. In several tracks, a piano plays a part in the unique feeling of The Sunset Tree. In "Love Love Love," reverberating bells add a dreamy atmosphere to the track, perfectly accompanying Darnielle's lyrics.
If there is one apparent flaw with The Sunset Tree, it is that Darnielle's vocals reminisce of one Weird Al Yankovic. Though this is not an obvious flaw, it can cause short fits of laughter when one imagines Yankovic bobbing his head and dancing erratically while singing tracks like "Lion's Teeth" or "Hast Though Considered the Tetrapod?"
The Sunset Tree is, without a doubt, an intriguing, well-crafted album. John Darnielle's unique song writing and vocal stylings have assisted in the creation of what may very well be one of the top albums of 2005. It'll just take another eight months to tell.