I am quite fond of the modern slang “wait, I’m goated.” It’s a realization of one’s inner potential and, to me, speaks of hope for the future. I would definitely link this somewhat silly phrase to the band who played at The Fillmore on December 10; The Mountain Goats. There was no opener, but I was able to enjoy hearing folk punk artist Asunder Sweet busking outside the venue.
A lot of The Mountain Goats’ earlier work contains quotes that startled me. For example, their encore “No Children” where John Darnielle sings “I hope you die, I hope we both die.” Darnielle admitted to himself that listeners have described a mixed emotional tone – it’s not sad, because it is hopeful. I find this to be embraced in their later work, with their final song of the night stating “I am gonna make it through this year if it kills me”. (“This Year”, off the 2022 album The Sunset Tree)
With regard to the actual performance, the blend of instruments was great, with the saxophone coming to join in towards the end of a few songs. The middle segment featured some solo work by Darnielle. Most songs were off of their new album, Through This Fire Across From Peter Balkan. As a geology major, one of the standouts for me was “Rocks In My Pocket.” Aside from rocks, the song brings me a feeling of a deep train of thought during a walk across the shoreline, an internal dialogue. “Fishing Boat” was also stellar, with the cymbals in the percussion section reminding me of the sound of bells at a busy seaport. It was an all ages crowd and there was a pleasant lack of phones, with many clearly in the moment. I would recommend their latest album to fans of Lord Huron, especially if you enjoy concept albums with a touch of existential horror and the human condition. To jazz fans wanting to dip their toes into chamber pop this is also the record for you. I recommend checking out The Mountain Goats live whenever you get a chance. Darnielle’s anecdotes between songs was commentary that made me stop and think about what exactly I found so compelling about some of the songs he was talking about. To put it briefly: goated band.
Review by Evan Grant
