The Mountain Goats: Heretic Pride

Label: 4AD

Since their 2001 signing to 4AD, the Mountain Goats have matured steadily, improving sonically from their boom-box-recorded, cassette-only beginnings but also taking huge steps in songwriting, as John Darnielle has established himself as a brilliant and essential lyricist. Darnielle has opened up over the course of these last few records, offering a more naked window into his dark imagination and tempering the sometimes crushing oblivion with a unique lightheartedness that permeated earlier material. The spare instrumentation that has defined the group’s sound also opens up on Heretic Pride, blending strings and scant harmonies into perfectly straightforward acoustic arrangements. Impassioned shouters like “Lovecraft in Brooklyn” and “Autoclave” take their place in a line of ultra-catchy, upbeat MG anthems, offset by icy introspections like “San Bernardino.” This album offers the best and most fulfilling example of the band’s growth, leaving the listener almost proud of what’s transpired and excited about what’s to come. (Fred)