In an era of critically acclaimed literary lyricists, John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats may be the most lauded. But he’s also one of the hardest to crack, as the deep metaphors he crafts often leave the listener rummaging for meaning. This style continues on his band’s latest effort All Eternals Deck. The album launches with “Damn These Vampires” with its epic cursing of immortality and only gets denser from there.
While many longtime The Mountain Goats fans bemoan Darnielle’s expansion of his music into a full band from its solo roots, the fuller sound makes for richer storytelling backdrops. On a track like “Sourdoire Valley Song” something as simple as the sparse drum line gives the song added emotional delicacy. The band also helps on “Estate Sale Sign” where the bass and drums help Darnielle’s hard acoustic strums fully rock out.
In addition to more abstract tales, the album also uses Hollywood icons as song springboards. “The Autopsy Garland” uses Judy Garland to examine the ugliness under the Hollywood facade, while Garland’s daughter becomes a focal point on “Liza Forever Minnelli.” The latter bookends the immortality theme, confronting the struggle to escape permanent isolation by gleaning hope from permanence of Liza Minnell’s Walk of Fame star.
What makes the bleakness of the tales palatable is the way Darnielle vocally conveys the slightest glimmer in the corner of his eye despite the sorrow that surrounds him.
As usual, each song on All Eternals Deck is a stand-alone story worth exploring until you crack every last lyrical intricacy.
Review Score: 7.1
*Expanded from a review in The Pacific Northwest Inlander*
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