Photo courtesy of themountaingoats.bandcamp.com
The Mountain Goats announced their latest album on February 22, along with the concept which will be its focus. The band is releasing an album about goth – because of course, The Mountain Goats would – and it’s fitting theme for the band.
The Mountain Goats have flexed their goth muscles numerous times in the past, with the most prominent examples showing up on albums All Eternals Deck, Heretic Pride and Transcendental Youth – an album Darnielle once dubbed “the Satan record.”
According to The Mountain Goats’ bandcamp page, the album will feature no pitch correction, no comped vocals, nor any guitar – a big change for the band that began with Darnielle’s voice and an acoustic guitar.
With the announcement of the new album, a single was also released. “Andrew Eldritch Is Moving Back To Leeds” is a song imagining a world in which the frontman of Sisters of Mercy finds himself pulled back to his hometown, which no one seems to be able to truly escape.
“Nobody ever gets away / Even the best of us come back some day,” sings Darnielle. “See the children bound for London, you’ll all be back too / Everybody tests the membrane but no-one pushes through,” he sings later in the song.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it’s just how things are in the world of this alternate Andrew Eldritch.
The song is bright and Darnielle’s voice isn’t resigned in its statements – heard on other songs such as “Unmasked!” and “Hair Match” from Beat The Champ – he sounds somewhat hopeful.
Musically the song doesn’t sound like what one might expect from an album about goth. Light, bell-like synths play over a vaguely dancey bassline and drum beat.
In recent years however, goth has come to mean a great many things. At this point in the subculture’s life, nearly anyone can claim goth cred by wearing all black and listening to their favorite, saddest and darkest album.
To paraphrase Kenneth Bainbridge, now we are all goths. We are all being inexorably pulled back to Leeds. There is no escape.
Goths will be released May 19 via Merge Records.