What album next? To my shame, I have only come across The Mountain Goats in the last six months; but, better late than never. Thus far I own (and love) Tallahasse and The Sunset Tree. My question is, which album would you recommend next? http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129408#msg-129408 Mon, 20 May 2013 07:33:09 -0700 Phorum 5.2.18 http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129540#msg-129540 Re: What album next? http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129540#msg-129540
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dollabill
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SlowWestVulture
My first tMG album was Get Lonely. My second was Heretic Pride.

Judging from common beliefs on the forums, it's kind of amazing I became a fan lol.

Wait there was a problem with Heretic Pride? I love that album!

Nothing wrong with Heretic Pride. You never forget your first...]]> Mithel Mountain Goats Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:25:00 -0800 http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129537#msg-129537 Re: What album next? http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129537#msg-129537
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RodSerling
But just a warning, the Mountain Goats will devour your life. Whatever your favorite band is now, tMG will tear it to shreads. For most of my musical existence, I called Faith No More my favorite all time band. Not anymore. Thanks a lot Darnielle.

It was a bit sad when I realized I was breaking up with my old favourite band. :(

We're still friends, though. And we'll always have July.]]> Mithel Mountain Goats Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:12:24 -0800 http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129494#msg-129494 Re: What album next? http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129494#msg-129494
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SlowWestVulture
My first tMG album was Get Lonely. My second was Heretic Pride.

Judging from common beliefs on the forums, it's kind of amazing I became a fan lol.

Wait there was a problem with Heretic Pride? I love that album!]]> dollabill Mountain Goats Tue, 31 Jan 2012 09:44:35 -0800 http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129492#msg-129492 Re: What album next? http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129492#msg-129492
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SlowWestVulture
My first tMG album was Get Lonely. My second was Heretic Pride.

Judging from common beliefs on the forums, it's kind of amazing I became a fan lol.

Dude, my first was GL as well. ...and I still love it unconditionally.]]> myopic mirror Mountain Goats Tue, 31 Jan 2012 07:45:41 -0800 http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129480#msg-129480 Re: What album next? http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129480#msg-129480
Judging from common beliefs on the forums, it's kind of amazing I became a fan lol.]]> SlowWestVulture Mountain Goats Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:48:51 -0800 http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129475#msg-129475 Re: What album next? http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129475#msg-129475
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RodSerling
But just a warning, the Mountain Goats will devour your life. Whatever your favorite band is now, tMG will tear it to shreads.

Definitely. It's so true. ...and to echo what Mr. Sterling here said, Zopilote Machine would also be a fantastic choice for next. Believe us when we say you can do NO wrong in what you choose.

Come back and report what you found and what you liked and what you chose and then we'll keep arguing about the worthiness of HP! Winky face.]]> myopic mirror Mountain Goats Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:08:41 -0800 http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129467#msg-129467 Re: What album next? http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129467#msg-129467
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freethemillhaven1
To my shame, I have only come across The Mountain Goats in the last six months; but, better late than never.

Thus far I own (and love) Tallahasse and The Sunset Tree.

My question is, which album would you recommend next?

Been lurking here for a while but I felt the need to chime in. My first albums were Sunset Tree and Tallahassee also. I picked up Zopiolote Machine and Sweden together as my next purchase. No regrets. Once you're hooked though, it's tough not to spend your money completing the collection.

But just a warning, the Mountain Goats will devour your life. Whatever your favorite band is now, tMG will tear it to shreads. For most of my musical existence, I called Faith No More my favorite all time band. Not anymore. Thanks a lot Darnielle.]]> RodSerling Mountain Goats Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:37:57 -0800 http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129450#msg-129450 Re: What album next? http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129450#msg-129450 Wild Creature Mountain Goats Sun, 29 Jan 2012 20:17:49 -0800 http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129449#msg-129449 Re: What album next? http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129449#msg-129449
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shlack
I think one of the problems that people seem to have with Heretic Pride is that there's less of a cohesive whole to be representative of.

This is what I was saying I don't get. It's never been a requirement that a whole album have a big narrative sweep or unified sound (and it's not a characteristic of most of the catalogue) to be enjoyable, so people knocking HP for being more of mix/grab bag stylistically is what I was responding to.]]> SaveMeASeat Mountain Goats Sun, 29 Jan 2012 19:56:57 -0800 http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129448#msg-129448 Re: What album next? http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129448#msg-129448
Bright Mountain Choir is one of the reasons I really like Marduk, not because it's a callback to older material but because of what their voices do for the chorus of that song. It's also a sonic difference from most of Heretic Pride. And I like that. I also cited New Zion as sonically different, but it's one that I'm less fond of. I'll point out as well that I'm not really shy about my deep love for The Life of the World to Come, which was far more different sonically (due to the piano, but also in part due to the stripped down nature of many of the songs) from any of the old stuff than anything on Heretic Pride was.

I don't think that Old tMG [always/necessarily >] New tMG, it's not a nostalgia argument. It'd be unfair and hypocritical of me to even make a nostalgia argument seeing as how I wasn't a fan before 4AD. Quantitatively speaking we've got more post-4AD switch albums than "boombox" albums now, and I think JD's songwriting has continued to improve throughout his career, though there are gems everywhere.

But back to my original point: It really is all a matter of personal opinion. As I said, I don't hate Heretic Pride. There are songs on it that I really enjoy. There are songs on it that I enjoy less. This is true of any album, it's just the ratio that varies. On albums I say I "like more," it's because I've connected with more of the songs. The same goes for albums I didn't connect with as much, like Heretic Pride or AED. I know plenty of people who disagree with me on those and that's fine.

It's very rare that an entire album beginning to end appeals equally strongly to me, and in my opinion there isn't one in the entire Mountain Goats catalog that doesn't have at least one song I care for noticeably less than the others. But that's fair--there are so many songs in the catalog to find and to cherish and to spend time with that I don't have to worry about the ones that I personally don't connect with. That's a blessing. What's also a blessing is that tMG puts out so much material that if there is an album I'm less fond of I'm not stuck with it for five years, growing bitter and resentful about my own personal opinion in a way that isn't fair to the artist. And another blessing is that this fan community is by and large made up of exceedingly cool people, and almost every one of them that I have met or interacted with in an extra-forum capacity has been wonderful and kind. These are all good things.

TL,DR: There is way too much material in the Mountain Goats catalog to make any bold and sweeping statements about any segment about it, and therefore we should not do this. This is a good thing.

PS-- I always hated how "TL;DR" was abbreviated with a semicolon. Semicolons require independent clauses, of which "Too Long" is not one, lacking both a subject and a verb. It is not a clause at all; it is a phrase.]]> shlack Mountain Goats Sun, 29 Jan 2012 19:33:37 -0800 http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129445#msg-129445 Re: What album next? http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129445#msg-129445
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SaveMeASeat
The thing I don't get about this reasoning is that it's something that links HP to the much-trumpeted older lower-fi stuff - just with better production values.

QFT. There's a herd of elephants in the room here but the closest I'll get to addressing it (for now) is to say that both albums you mention pre-date The Sunset Tree, which I see as the real line in the sand. Not Tallahassee.]]> Johnp Mountain Goats Sun, 29 Jan 2012 17:49:03 -0800 http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129443#msg-129443 Re: What album next? http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129443#msg-129443
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shlack
I'm not trying to hate on Heretic Pride as a whole--there are songs on there I really like. Marduk's got the Bright Mountain Choir, for heaven's sake. Ain't nobody going to object to that. But it is less cohesive, as an album, than many of the others are. New Zion's got that reggae-ish thing going, for example. There's nothing else like that in the entire catalog.

The thing I don't get about this reasoning is that it's something that links HP to the much-trumpeted older lower-fi stuff - just with better production values. Sweden isn't of a piece in terms of mood, tempo, etc. Neither is AHWT which has Blues in Dallas another unique song in the catalogue. So I just don't get why this would drag people down on HP, but it's been posted enough to be apparent that it does.]]> SaveMeASeat Mountain Goats Sun, 29 Jan 2012 15:25:25 -0800 http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129440#msg-129440 Re: What album next? http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129440#msg-129440
Also, for recent stuff, I think Life of the World to Come deserves more love, so I will recommend that. This is not to knock any of the others. For instance, I too think Heretic Pride deserves way more love than it gets.

I think it's always a good idea for fans who started with the albums you did to check out the more recent stuff first, unless you have a long history with extremely lo-fi recordings and exceedingly quirky songwriting, because that's what you get more and more the further back you go.]]> simonfox Mountain Goats Sun, 29 Jan 2012 13:58:23 -0800 http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129438#msg-129438 Re: What album next? http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129438#msg-129438 shlack Mountain Goats Sun, 29 Jan 2012 12:59:48 -0800 http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129437#msg-129437 Re: What album next? http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129437#msg-129437 jacobfiala Mountain Goats Sun, 29 Jan 2012 12:09:13 -0800 http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129436#msg-129436 Re: What album next? http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129436#msg-129436 shlack Mountain Goats Sun, 29 Jan 2012 09:34:16 -0800 http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129435#msg-129435 Re: What album next? http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129435#msg-129435
Are they representative of the whole?]]> freethemillhaven1 Mountain Goats Sun, 29 Jan 2012 09:16:15 -0800 http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129432#msg-129432 Re: What album next? http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129432#msg-129432 jacobfiala Mountain Goats Sun, 29 Jan 2012 08:00:55 -0800 http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129431#msg-129431 Re: What album next? http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129431#msg-129431
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Alpha Puppington
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Johnp
You forgot to say "imho".
it should be implied that those words are simply my opinion and nothing else.

Couldn't agree more!]]> Johnp Mountain Goats Sun, 29 Jan 2012 01:33:44 -0800 http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129430#msg-129430 Re: What album next? http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129430#msg-129430
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Alpha Puppington
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freethemillhaven1
^Many thanks.


Yeah, I wouldn't jump into Heretic Pride just yet. It's better than its reputation indicates, but it's still pretty easily the weakest tMG release. For your next album, I'd go with All Hail West Texas, The Coroner's Gambit, All Eternals Deck, and Sweden, in that order.

Wow, I rather enjoyed heretic pride :(
I wouldn't consider it a weak release but would actually label it as one of the best. Strangely enough I prefer Heretic Price to tlotwtc(never figured out how to shorten that one).

Edit:
Read Alpha's last post. I'd tend to agree with him on the "Its obviously my opinion" statement.But when your addressing someone else on something as important as music, especially tmg, you might wanna make sure the addressee is clear that it is your dead soul that came to the conclusion that Heretic pride is weak, not the community.(Lol i hope that the humor is clear on that last comment....see confirming things isn't so bad....)
]]> meus spes Mountain Goats Sun, 29 Jan 2012 00:22:02 -0800 http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129429#msg-129429 Re: What album next? http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129429#msg-129429
Interesting to hear that Heretic Pride is not rated by all. I had been sampling some tracks from it on YouTube to get a flavour before buying and really liked Autoclave and Sax Rhomer#1

Perhaps, on balance, I will make All Eternals Deck my next purchase and then see where I go from there.

Looking forward to my first MG gig at the Barbican in April B)]]> freethemillhaven1 Mountain Goats Sun, 29 Jan 2012 00:10:30 -0800 http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129424#msg-129424 Re: What album next? http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129424#msg-129424
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Johnp
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freethemillhaven1
^Many thanks.

I had been thinking possibly of either All Eternals Deck or Heretic Pride in terms of more recent releases; I had also heard that the Coroner's Gambit was very good in terms of an earlier release.

Clearly, opinions here vary wildly. See this thread for more...

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Alpha Puppington
Yeah, I wouldn't jump into Heretic Pride just yet. It's better than its reputation indicates, but it's still pretty easily the weakest tMG release.

You forgot to say "imho".
By the simple and obvious fact that no single person's opinion can ever be truly authoritative, it should be implied that those words are simply my opinion and nothing else. I don't believe it necessary to add a disclaimer to every post in which an opinion is expressed.]]> Alpha Puppington Mountain Goats Sat, 28 Jan 2012 18:43:37 -0800 http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129422#msg-129422 Re: 'There is no wrong answer to your question, though.' http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129422#msg-129422
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StatusFrustratio
You will love that one, and some day you'll wake up with 1700 scrobbles on last.fm of the other one you thought you didn't really like.

Oh my goodness, THIS.]]> myopic mirror Mountain Goats Sat, 28 Jan 2012 17:08:49 -0800 http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129421#msg-129421 Re: 'There is no wrong answer to your question, though.' http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129421#msg-129421 If you don't, just get another one. You will love that one, and some day you'll wake up with 1700 scrobbles on last.fm of the other one you thought you didn't really like.]]> StatusFrustratio Mountain Goats Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:37:24 -0800 http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129420#msg-129420 Re: What album next? http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129420#msg-129420
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freethemillhaven1
^Many thanks.

I had been thinking possibly of either All Eternals Deck or Heretic Pride in terms of more recent releases; I had also heard that the Coroner's Gambit was very good in terms of an earlier release.

Clearly, opinions here vary wildly. See this thread for more...

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Alpha Puppington
Yeah, I wouldn't jump into Heretic Pride just yet. It's better than its reputation indicates, but it's still pretty easily the weakest tMG release.

You forgot to say "imho".]]> Johnp Mountain Goats Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:07:17 -0800 http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129418#msg-129418 Re: What album next? http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129418#msg-129418
tl;dr: Stuff, things, defense of HP/GL, calling out HP haters by comparing it to NfJ in terms of its outlier status, all of them, all of them.

As far as where to go after The Sunset Tree/Tallahassee, I would definitely recommend All Hail West Texas. If you're feeling even more bold, go for an earlier release like Sweden or The Coroner's Gambit, for sure. If you're feeling like hearing another awesome recent release, go for All Eternals Deck. It kicks butt and things.]]> myopic mirror Mountain Goats Sat, 28 Jan 2012 15:55:28 -0800 http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129417#msg-129417 Re: What album next? http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129417#msg-129417 SaveMeASeat Mountain Goats Sat, 28 Jan 2012 14:58:56 -0800 http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129415#msg-129415 Re: What album next? http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129415#msg-129415
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freethemillhaven1
^Many thanks.

I had been thinking possibly of either All Eternals Deck or Heretic Pride in terms of more recent releases; I had also heard that the Coroner's Gambit was very good in terms of an earlier release.
Yeah, I wouldn't jump into Heretic Pride just yet. It's better than its reputation indicates, but it's still pretty easily the weakest tMG release. For your next album, I'd go with All Hail West Texas, The Coroner's Gambit, All Eternals Deck, and Sweden, in that order.]]> Alpha Puppington Mountain Goats Sat, 28 Jan 2012 13:52:49 -0800 http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129414#msg-129414 Re: What album next? http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129414#msg-129414 jacobfiala Mountain Goats Sat, 28 Jan 2012 13:48:00 -0800 http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129413#msg-129413 Re: What album next? http://www.mountain-goats.com/forums/read.php?2,129408,129413#msg-129413


Feel compelled to mention that FFG was much more of a "grower" for me so I'm not sure if I'd put it in the mix so early as you're just diving in. Either way, you've got a lot of great music ahead of you!]]> SaveMeASeat Mountain Goats Sat, 28 Jan 2012 13:46:24 -0800