Artist: The Mountain Goats
Album: The Life Of The World To Come
Year: 2009
Grade: 3.5 pretzels
John Darnielle, the creative force and leader behind the Mountain Goats, has spent the past couple of decades carefully cultivating an aura of literate, hip coolness. Releasing albums full of wordy personal confessions and elaborate literary quotes, Darnielle is often the singer/songwriter of choice for the “misunderstood and smart” indie set. So, perhaps it should come as no surprise that Darnielle’s new album, The Life Of The World To Come, quotes from the most famous book in history: the Bible. Featuring twelve songs inspired by and named for specific Biblical passages, the album certainly feels like a bit of a wrench being thrown into the secular gears of modern alternative music. However, it’s a testament to Darnielle’s substantial abilities as a songwriter that the whole thing doesn’t turn into a novel piece of irony or a cloyingly earnest blunder.
Now, when we say these songs were “inspired” by the Bible, that doesn’t exactly tell the whole story. Some songs (“Psalms 40:2”, “Romans 10:9”) directly lift phrases and language from the passages they’re named for, while others, specifically “Deuteronomy 2:10”, seem to have absolutely nothing tying them to their source text. Clearly, Darnielle’s Biblical “inspirations” are much more abstract than trying to set the word of God to some quaint music. Certain songs are more indebted to their passages than others, but there’s still a unified sound across the album. Some of my favorites, though, are the songs that find a perfect balance between original song and the scripture they grew out of. For example, Genesis 3:23 (in the King James Bible) reads: “Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.” Darnielle’s “Genesis 3:23” doesn’t directly reference that passage, but it does feature a very simple chorus, repeating the words “I used to live here.” It’s those little connections that really make you appreciate Darnielle’s songwriting.
Musically, the album is a bit less ambitious. The Mountain Goats’ records have always featured Darnielle’s strumming guitar and occasional piano playing in the forefront, with his hired-gun rhythm section chugging away behind him. While this simple musical bedrock highlights Darnielle’s lyrics above all else, it also creates a lot of songs that blend into each other very quickly. You really have to dig into these songs for each one to develop its own character. Of course, that can be an incredibly rewarding experience in its own right, but it’s also nice to just sit back and let the music surround you. Between Darnielle’s wordy songcraft and his occasionally grating, nasal voice, The Life Of The World To Come (or any Mountain Goats album, for that matter) isn’t all that great for just a passing listen.
The Life Of The World To Come is one of those funny little albums that’s very easy to appreciate, but more difficult to really enjoy. Darnielle’s intelligence, wit and penchant for darkly evocative phrases are as impressive as they’ve always been, but the music veers a bit too strongly into the “strummy, folky blandness” camp. The album’s highest points arrive towards the end, including the tragic “Matthew 25:21”, which features this moving passage:
“…and I am an airplane, tumbling wing over wing
Tried to listen to my instruments, they don’t say anything
People screaming when the engines quit
I hope we’re all in crash position when we hit.”
The album’s true knockout song is the closing “Ezekiel 7 And The Permanent Efficacy Of Grace”, which takes a lengthy, violent section from the Bible about God’s wrath and transforms it into a minor key piano ballad, featuring the recurring refrain of “drive ‘til the rain stops, keep driving.” It’s a haunting song, full of fear and sadness and reckoning. In other words, all the things you’d want from a song inspired by the Bible. The Life Of The World To Come is best listened to when you’ve got a trusty Bible alongside you, comparing Darnielle’s mostly secular lyrics to their namesake passages, trying to figure out just how the lines connect. While this certainly doesn’t make it a particularly accessible album, it contains much to reward those willing to put in a bit of extra effort.
Now, when we say these songs were “inspired” by the Bible, that doesn’t exactly tell the whole story. Some songs (“Psalms 40:2”, “Romans 10:9”) directly lift phrases and language from the passages they’re named for, while others, specifically “Deuteronomy 2:10”, seem to have absolutely nothing tying them to their source text. Clearly, Darnielle’s Biblical “inspirations” are much more abstract than trying to set the word of God to some quaint music. Certain songs are more indebted to their passages than others, but there’s still a unified sound across the album. Some of my favorites, though, are the songs that find a perfect balance between original song and the scripture they grew out of. For example, Genesis 3:23 (in the King James Bible) reads: “Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.” Darnielle’s “Genesis 3:23” doesn’t directly reference that passage, but it does feature a very simple chorus, repeating the words “I used to live here.” It’s those little connections that really make you appreciate Darnielle’s songwriting.
Musically, the album is a bit less ambitious. The Mountain Goats’ records have always featured Darnielle’s strumming guitar and occasional piano playing in the forefront, with his hired-gun rhythm section chugging away behind him. While this simple musical bedrock highlights Darnielle’s lyrics above all else, it also creates a lot of songs that blend into each other very quickly. You really have to dig into these songs for each one to develop its own character. Of course, that can be an incredibly rewarding experience in its own right, but it’s also nice to just sit back and let the music surround you. Between Darnielle’s wordy songcraft and his occasionally grating, nasal voice, The Life Of The World To Come (or any Mountain Goats album, for that matter) isn’t all that great for just a passing listen.
The Life Of The World To Come is one of those funny little albums that’s very easy to appreciate, but more difficult to really enjoy. Darnielle’s intelligence, wit and penchant for darkly evocative phrases are as impressive as they’ve always been, but the music veers a bit too strongly into the “strummy, folky blandness” camp. The album’s highest points arrive towards the end, including the tragic “Matthew 25:21”, which features this moving passage:
“…and I am an airplane, tumbling wing over wing
Tried to listen to my instruments, they don’t say anything
People screaming when the engines quit
I hope we’re all in crash position when we hit.”
The album’s true knockout song is the closing “Ezekiel 7 And The Permanent Efficacy Of Grace”, which takes a lengthy, violent section from the Bible about God’s wrath and transforms it into a minor key piano ballad, featuring the recurring refrain of “drive ‘til the rain stops, keep driving.” It’s a haunting song, full of fear and sadness and reckoning. In other words, all the things you’d want from a song inspired by the Bible. The Life Of The World To Come is best listened to when you’ve got a trusty Bible alongside you, comparing Darnielle’s mostly secular lyrics to their namesake passages, trying to figure out just how the lines connect. While this certainly doesn’t make it a particularly accessible album, it contains much to reward those willing to put in a bit of extra effort.
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