Opinions of The Mountain Goats New Album Called Heretic Pride

You can't possibly review a cd from a band or a man who you enjoy as much as I enjoy John Darnielle. It's the same thing as betting on your team. It's impossible to take a bias stance. So this is not a cd review, but just opinions from someone who would still have favorable things to say if the album was a concept album about meatloaf or subzero water removal...
I couldn't even wait to get to the record store to pick it up. Vintage Vinyl is simply down the street but it was really cold and I was hungry therefor could not make a rational decision. This is bothersome to me because I hate to buy things off of Itunes. I like to be able to hold the product in my hands. The concept of digital music still seems very impersonal to me...although very practical.
So on Tuesday I had to have it...so I bought it...and listened to it twice in a row. Heretic Pride is as amazing as you would expect...maybe more so. Get Lonely was good not great and Sunset Tree was close to perfect. This album to me seems like a combination between the two. Musically it is the Mountain Goats best.
The first four songs of Heretic Pride (Sax Rohmer Pt 1, San Bernadino, Heretic Pride, Autoclave) almost make the rest of the album seem like shit, but thats only because they are extraordinarily swell. And if the rest of the album is shit...I love shit. New Zion starts out like a Steve Winwood song to me...just a neutral observation.
So Desperate is nice and quiet. A good break. In the Craters On the Moon (I love it when he screams "In the declining years of the long war" it makes me want to break my ceiling fan) and Lovecraft in Brooklyn are badass awesome. We saw both those live and I liked them when we heard them then, but like them more now.
One of my favorites, if not my absolute favorite, is the redo of Michael Myers Resplendent. You noticed it was a great song before when it was recorded on Songs for Vamsidassa Babaji...just him, but with drums and violins and all the production it is awesome.
I can't post a song because I bought it off of Itunes and they do some super special finagling to prevent the transfer to mp3. Those selfish sneaky bastards...
I think it would be in everybodys best interest to buy this cd. It will give you super powers and will probably make you faster than everyone in your gym class.
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