With 726 albums and ten zillion songs under his belt (those might be slight exaggerations), Mountain Goats principal John Darnielle is one of those guys that writes three songs in his head on his way to the bus stop every morning. The Sunset Tree is Darnielle’s most recent collection of well-written, well-enunciated songs. Produced by the uber talented John Vanderslice at Prairie Sun Studios in Northern California, the album is 13 songs deep and just under 40 minutes long. Before a couple years ago, the vast majority of Darnielle’s narrative songs were not based on his own personal experiences, but The Sunset Tree finds Darnielle expanding on the introspective, self-experienced songwriting first attempted on last year’s We Shall All Be Healed. A true songwriter’s album, the lyrics and the powerful-yet-vulnerable vocals are the main attraction. Though there are numerous guest musicians who sat in on these sessions, the music remains simple and concise, acting as the plain white canvas waiting for Darnielle’s colorful lyrics to complete the masterpiece. Favorites include “This Year”, “Dilaudid” and “Dance Music”, coincidentally they’re the third, forth and fifth tracks on the album.

The Mountain Goats
4AD/Beggars Group

1. Get Lonely
2. Mountain Goats’ Darnielle And John Vanderslice Release Collaborative EP
3. Hey Now! Limited-Edition Mountain Goats Vinyl!
4. M3 Summit Announces Sunset Sessions Artists
5. Best Videos Of 2008, #8 – The Mountain Goats “Sax Rohmer #1″