Chasing Lions

John Darnielle and The Mountain Goats with Heretic Pride

I’m going to make an important distinction: musical talent is different from song writing talent.  When I think of musical talent, I think of technical expertise, music theory, and terms like phrygian mode – the kind of food that a music student is fed.  John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats does not eat that food.  In fact, he doesn’t even go to restaurants that serve that food.  (Can I make wild metaphorical claims like that about a person I don’t know?  Well, I just did.)  Darnielle doesn’t compose, he writes.  His music has always been about story telling, and this is what distinguishes him as a song writer.

The latest Mountain Goats album, Heretic Pride, which has been out since February, gives us the next foot forward in Darnielle’s gradually evolving sound.  Prior to Tallahassee (2002), he had been recording himself in single-mic-to-living-room-stereo fashion, giving his albums the characteristic lo-fi background hiss.  Since Tallahassee, he has been recording in studio, often under the production of John Vanderslice, and with a collection of fellow musicians.  Many early supporters have been reluctant to appreciate the studio sound, criticizing Darnielle for abandoning his style, but I must interject and offer compliments.

I think he has been allowing his sound to evolve.  As a kid, why did you continue looking at the puffy cumulous clouds even after you saw a dragon?  Because you could see new shapes as the wind remolded the sky.  Knowing full well that Darnielle is capable of filling my imagination with language, I am willing to go where he wants to lead me, even if it means imagining new shapes, or shifting my focus in another direction.

While I wouldn’t say Heretic Pride is an example of The Mountain Goats at their best (for that, I would point you to Tallahassee), it is nonetheless a great album.  Peter Hughes joined Darnielle on the bass, Jon Wurster on the drums, Franklin Bruno on the keys, and Erik Frieldander handled all of the string arrangements.  There are even a few whisps of female choir voices in “Marduk T-shirt Men’s Room Incident” and taking background harmony in “New Zion.”  Songs like “Sax Rohmer #1,” “San Bernardino,” and “Tianchi Lake” sound stylistically reminiscent of the Tallahassee/Sunset Tree era, and “New Zion” and “Sept 15 1983” explore a quasi-reggae sound that suits the group well.  And I simply cannot forget the rocking “Lovecraft in Brooklyn,” which stands out as the only song on the album with an overdriven electric guitar.

But that’s not all John Darnielle has been up to.  He wrote a book for the 33 1/3 series, all books of which are themed around influential albums.  His album: Black Sabbath’s Master of Reality (be sure to check out the music video imbedded in this link’s page).  Darnielle also writes frequently about metal for Decibel Magazine, and maintains (at least?) two blogs/things: 1) Last Plane to Jakarta and 2) JohnDarnielle.com (also called Mus Mus Tail).  And here’s his Flickr site.  And here’s a mildly outdated yet humorous interview of Darnielle conducted by The Believer.

Chris Bathgate - Starbuck’s Pick Of The Week

Chris Bathgate is Starbuck’s Pick Of The Week (Aug 12th-19th) with Yes, I’m Cold from his most recent release Wait, Skeleton. You can stop by any Starbuck’s location and pick up your free iTunes download card.

Silversun Pickups and Sea Wolf Reach Olympic Stardom

 
Dangerbird Records have two bands representing them in the 2008 Olympics. The first is Silversun Pickups with “Lazy Eye (Jason Bentley remix)” in a 2008 Chevy Malibu ad, while Sea Wolf’s “You’re A Wolf” is featured in a Malibu Hybrid ad. It’s nice to see these two great bands achieve Olympic success.

Bazan: Alone At The Mic

Expect the first official video project from David Bazan on October 14. Bazan: Alone At The Mic shows David playing favorites from his catalog of songs from Pedro the Lion, Headphones, and solo material. They also “filmed interview segments with him talking about Pedro The Lion, going solo, songwriting and more.”

Pre-orders of the DVD come with bonus Quicktime videos and nine audio track downloads which won’t be included on the DVD. Five videos from Bazan: Alone At The Mic can be viewed on Youtube.

Live performances include:
When They Really Get To Know You
Slow and Steady Wins The Race
1976
Options
Priests & Paramedics
I Never Wanted You
Shit Talker
Fewer Moving Parts
Cold Beer & Cigarettes
Please Baby Please
Continue reading Bazan: Alone At The Mic…

Tim Williams: Tape Your Head Video

Tim Williams is building on the success of his music video for Novel with his new video for Tape Your Head. The song is from his album When Work Is Done (Dovecote Records) released last year.

Filmed in Detroit, Michigan, with aged buildings in the background as Tim Williams strums his acoustic in a suit and tie, ominous clouds threatened rain, giving a tremendous backdrop to the video. The storm had its own way of developing the music video:

Unfortunately, the weather was not on their side as a hail storm halted the filming of the original video treatment. Having to work quick on their feet, the team chose alternatives on the spot. “On the days allocated for the exterior-heavy original treatment, the weather was less than cooperative. The skies opened up in a heavy hail storm which threatened to destroy our camera gear. But this proved to be a blessing in disguise as it ripped us from the remote locations originally supposed, and thrust us into the heart of a bustling Detroit, Michigan where Tim was truly showcased as a distinct voice amongst the faceless masses and sprawling metropolitan landscapes,” explains the directors.

Watch Tim Williams‘ Tape Your Head video.

Tim Williams - Tape Your Head