The Mountain Goats

The Mountain Goats are usually described as an indie-rock band but in reality it is singer-songwriter John Darnielle playing his acoustic guitar along with an ever changing cast of backup musicians a la Steely Dan or Nine Inch Nails.

It is difficult to describe Darnielle's lyrics in any way that does them justice. Always clever and always thoughtful, his songs range from hilarious and jovial to dark and mysterious, and no lack of combination between the two ends of the spectrum.

His voice is unique and entrancing and reminds you of David Byrne, Steven Page, and Ben Gibbard. It is the kind of voice that when you first hear it you think "this guy should be leading a cult somewhere."

His best and probably most popular album is Tallahassee, which was produced in 2002. Here is the Groove Shark link to the album. "First Few Desperate Hours" is a great introduction to their sound and "Southwood Plantation Road" is a good uptempo song that incorporates more of the backup artists but "No Children" is the song that got me hooked. It is the epitome of tragic comedy composed in an upbeat 6/8 tempo. Here is a brief sampling of the lyrics:

I hope I cut myself shaving tomorrow
I hope it bleeds all day long
Our friends say it's darkest before the sun rises
We're pretty sure they're all wrong
I hope it stays dark forever
I hope the worst isn't over
And I hope you blink before I do
Yeah I hope I never get sober
And I hope when you think of me years down the line
You can't find one good thing to say
And I'd hope that if I found the strength to walk out
You'd stay the hell out of my way

Anyway, give it a listen and enjoy.