For the last twenty years, John Darnielle has been entertaining and enthralling the world with his profoundly thoughtful lyrics and soulful singing and musical stylings. One of my former coworkers told me that all this would surely end once he had a child and he was quite disappointed last year when I mentioned that Darnielle and his wife had been blessed with a beautiful baby boy. I am here to let you know that his concerns were unfounded because there’s a new Mountain Goats record and it has really shattered all of my expectations.

The album, Transcendental Youth, opens up with a powerful start with a song called Amy aka Spent Gladiator 1. It is a beautiful expression of the way that sometimes people will nearly throw away their lives in an effort to stay alive, so to speak. When asked why people jump off bridges with bungee cords, it is amazing how many say that they want to feel alive.

The production value on this album is incredible. It is a far cry from the stripped down early albums, most of which were recorded on a boombox with just an acoustic guitar — there are tracks on the album that feature a full horn section, like the fantastic song Cry for Judas. Here is the official music video for the song. (In an era where MTV is more well known for playing “reality” programs like “The Jersey Shore”, we need to turn to YouTube for good music videos!) John officially released it as a free and for pay single which you can download here.

The entire album is a group of character sketches, set in Washington State. As a former dweller of Washington State, it makes me happy to hear references to geographical names with which I am familiar, like Snohomish.

You can listen to the full album on Spotify.

I have listened to the full album about a dozen times or so and I find it to be a strong album in The Mountain Goats discography. It has the kind of fortitude that I have found in albums like The Sunset Tree — the kind that you can just play over and over again. I hope that you find yourself listening to it and loving it as well.

9 Comments

  1. David Boles – New York City – David Boles was born in Nebraska and holds an MFA from the Oscar Hammerstein II Center for Theatre Studies at Columbia University in the City of New York. He is an author, dramatist, editor, publisher, and teacher who writes across the live stage, print, radio, television, film, and the web. With more than 50 books in print, David continues to write 2MM words a year and has authored over 25K articles. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild, the Authors Guild, and PEN America, and founded The United Stage advocacy platform on the principle that playwrights have a duty to direct their own work. Read the Prairie Voice Archive at Boles.com | Buy his books at David Boles Books Writing & Publishing at BolesBooks.com | Study with Script Professor at ScriptProfessor.com | Touch American Sign Language mastery at Hardcore ASL at HardcoreASL.com | Explore the Human Meme podcast at HumanMeme.com | Train with Boles Bells at BolesBells.com.
    David W. Boles says:

    Well done, Gordon! I do like the musical variety from track to track. Scary album cover, though!

    1. Gordon Davidescu – Born in Perth Amboy, Gordon Davidescu lives in Queens with his wife, children, cat, and plush bears. He loves reading a good book whether it is cloth and paper or digitally.
      Gordon Davidescu says:

      Glad you like it! Agreed, it has frightening artwork. I guess that’s the point, though.

  2. I’m saying anything that has the ‘sons of God’ attracted to the ‘sons of men/Adam’ in pictorial form, I’m staying miles away. That picture is hair curling.

    I’m glad you enjoyed it.

    1. Gordon Davidescu – Born in Perth Amboy, Gordon Davidescu lives in Queens with his wife, children, cat, and plush bears. He loves reading a good book whether it is cloth and paper or digitally.
      Gordon Davidescu says:

      The depiction is actually more meant to be the characters in the album fighting with their inner demons.

        1. Gordon Davidescu – Born in Perth Amboy, Gordon Davidescu lives in Queens with his wife, children, cat, and plush bears. He loves reading a good book whether it is cloth and paper or digitally.
          Gordon Davidescu says:

          Now you can get on Spotify and listen to it for free! It’s a really beautiful album.

    1. Gordon Davidescu – Born in Perth Amboy, Gordon Davidescu lives in Queens with his wife, children, cat, and plush bears. He loves reading a good book whether it is cloth and paper or digitally.
      Gordon Davidescu says:

      Looks like you have a good opportunity to hear them play live!

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