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Album Details

• Artist: The Mountain Goats
• Album: The Sunset Tree
• Label: 4AD
• Year of Release: 2005
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: dscanland on 2005-06-17

With Tallahassee being my inception into the Mountain Goats legacy I was naturally disappointed at We Shall Be Healed. Excuse me while I pick up my disbelief off the floor as I make it through The Sunset Tree for the umpteenth time. I wouldn't be surprised if John Darnielle regrets We Shall Be Healed. It was so less than stellar compared to the two albums bookending that album. Darnielle has one of those voices that you just want to hate, not dissimilar to that of Adam Sandler, but much more thought and care into the lyrics as well as heart and soul. You might have to be dead not to feel some emotion on "Song For Dennis Brown", a track that consists of an acoustic guitar and John's aching vocals. The storytelling that John does on this album is by far his finest. Just listen to "You or Your Memory" for a story example. It seems almost second nature for him to place his stories to music. This Mountain Goats effort seems like it's a little more personal than the last two albums. A lot of acoustic guitar and piano on The Sunset Tree make it a very organic feeling album. On "Love Love Love" we get another heart drenched ballad but the coolest thing on this track is the high end piano and other samples that twinkle in and out completely unexpected. The Sunset Tree comes off as the most essential Mountain Goats album to date. I shall forgive John for his last album now.

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