The Mountain Goats - We Shall All Be Heale

The one man force of nature known as John Darnielle takes the lo-fi approach to music seriously. Recording simple songs with simple arrangements isn’t a bad formula if the songs are there, and under the moniker of The Mountain Goats, Darnielle has proved time and time again that they are. Produced by fellow indie singer/songwriter John Vanderslice, We Shall All Be Healed documents thirteen songs taken from a batch of sixteen and recorded in ten days with a handful of friends. Don’t make the mistake of taking lo-fi, simple, and quickly produced to mean low quality production with this album. As with their previous release, this is more polished than their early work. Each song is well arranged and crisp, balancing Darnielle’s laid back void with the gentle mix of acoustic guitar, strings, drums and the occasional piano or odd instrument. Not without its sense of humor (just look at song titles like “Linda Blair Was Born Innocent” and “Pigs That Ran Straightaway Into The Water, Triumph Of”), the disc focuses on any number of muses for its lyrical inspiration. “Your Belgian Things,” “Mole” and “Home Again Garden Grove” provide a trio of songs whose melody and insight prove that The Mountain Goats songwriting is some of the best you will find. In days when high production and over-extravagance breed more entertainers than musicians, this album fantastically showcases that music is about melody, thought and, more than anything else, quality songs. Each track provides its own nice unique moments and works together to bring a nice laid back vibe to a stellar album. The Mountain Goats continue to spit out songs and albums at an alarming pace, but they also continue to prove that John Darnielle is one of the best acoustic guitar wielding songwriters in the game today. Everyone would be wise to give this album and this band more than a casual listen. [www.4ad.com]