The Mountain Goats - Hello and Farewell Gothenburg
Recorded 1995, unreleased. Leaked 2007
Track four. That is the only reason you need to listen to Hello and Farewell Gothenburg. Titled I Love You, Let’s Light Ourselves on Fire and under two and a half minutes, the song contains some of the most heartbreakingly simple lyrics John Darnielle has ever written. “What’s going to be the death of me?” He starts, with a vocal style similar to a later album, All Hail West Texas. “Static electricity.”
The whole album consists of him, a guitar and some background noises - a car, for example, at the start of I Love You, Let’s Light Ourselves on Fire. It is very obviously an early Mountain Goats album. It was recorded in 1995, and leaked in 2007; it was never officially released, and is unfortunately not sanctioned by John Darnielle; he cites poor mastering as one of the reasons. Fans of the band might note just how bright the guitar sounds are, and his voice. Darnielle has gone on record as saying that the record was mastered a full tone higher than the tracks were performed.
While this is by no means the best Mountain Goats album out there, it has the lo-fi feel that many of us love. It’s like All Hail West Texas without the grinding sound of the broken recorder to see us through from track to track. While Hello and Farewell Gothenburg doesn’t have the complex arrangements of the most recent Mountain Goats albums, it is a heartfelt, aching album that many fans are sure to enjoy.
To continue with Gearmond’s fabulous tradition, I give this album 4 out of 5. It’s fucking John Darnielle; what more needs to be said?
Review by Frankih.
Track List:
1. Hello, Old Rabbit (1:33)
2. You’re So Vain (3:00)
3. Four New Trees (2:12)
4. I Love You. Let’s Light Ourselves on Fire (2:17)
5. Milk Song (2:12)
6. Ghosts (2:37)
7. Red Choral Diamond Spray (2:26)
8. Ending the Alphabet (2:36)
9. Crane (1:49)
10. One Frozen River (2:28)
Download!
