Review: The Mountain Goats - Satanic Messiah

Don't let the album title scare you. The Mountain Goats are not some Norwegian death metal band. The Mountain Goats are a folk rock band led by singer/songwriter John Darnielle. I had not heard much about the band before hearing this album.

Satanic Messiah is a series of four low-key piano rock songs. John will throw in an acoustic guitar here or there, but these are very simple songs for the most part. The music is simply a vehicle for John's great songwriting. He can tell simple stories or intense narratives, but both are delivered in his own quirky style.

The album starts off with a strummed acoustic guitar and single piano notes. John then draws you in with his unique staccato delivery. It's just different enough not to be boring and leaves you wanting more. Then the next song starts and you do get more, but it's more of exactly the same sadly. It starts with a simple, strummed guitar this time backed with a simple synth line. It's not bad, but it doesn't grab you like before.

These songs are not bad. They are all quite pleasant actually. It's just that they sound like the continuation of the same song and when John's songwriting isn't grabbing your attention, it can get boring. On the last song, "Gojam Province 1968", John's songwriting takes over and finishes the album with anthemic lyrics that draw you in.

The best part about the album is that you can get it for free or with a small donation here in MP3, FLAC, AAC, or AIFF (apparently the domain name satanicmessiah.com wasn't already taken).

Highs: "Sarcofago Live", "Gojam Province 1968"
Lows: "Wizard Buys a Hat"

Mp3: Album (.Zip)

Rating: 6.8