the mountain goats – we shall all be healed – 5 stars

i know the mountain goats are still new to me, having never heard them until the amazing previous record tallahassee. so it could be that i’m still floating in the realm of infatuation and not thinking long term here (see yesterday). however, i do know how i feel about this cd right now, and that comes in two parts.

one, this is not tallahassee. that was a remarkable cd in every way i could think of, and still one of my favorites almost two years later. the new cd may get a five star rating just like the prior, but that’s because i love them both, not because they are equal.

so, two, is the fact that this cd still blows me away in a lot of the same ways. fantastic writing. that same endearing, unique, almost-but-not-quite annoying vocal style. the same simplicity of a man and his words and his guitar, even when that core is embellished with strings or percussion or keys (and might i say, well done in this go-round). i want to cry or snarl or reflect with him, i’m drawn into the strange world of each song — perhaps more by standouts like ‘mole’ or ‘against pollution’ — and i honestly can’t get enough of this cd. half the time i go from track 13 back to track 1 for another trip around.

it’s definitely not quite as beautiful as its predecessor, which was softer and more tender. i also miss the bittersweet tone that ran through all of the last album and held it together tighter than this one. but you can’t write multiple concept albums based around the failing marriage of a fictional couple, can you? probably not, even if i wished he did. with we shall all be healed, though, he did put together another piece of work which has me convinced he’s brilliant, so i suppose i shouldn’t ask for much more.

and if you’re curious yourself, try not to cry as you fall in love with another especially good track, ‘linda blair was born innocent‘. not that i’m saying i cried or anything — it’s just really good, okay?