|
|
CD: $9.99 Limited edition LP version is DELETED.
Zopilote Machine bears the distinction of being the first "proper" full-length album by the Mountain Goats, which with the passage of time since the band's inception in 1990 and the growth of the song catalog and immense discography of the ever-evolving band lineup is no minor feat. Originally released on CD only in a small pressing on the Chicago-based Ajax Records in July, 1994, Zopilote was the first foray by Claremont, California-based John Darnielle and his "Bright Mountain Choir" into the world beyond Shrimper cassettes and the quasi-hermetic universe of 7" records. But the response to the Mountain Goats' self-proclaimed "mater ferricrepina magna ferocia" was quick and passionate. The intial pressing sold out quickly, the touring incarnation of the band (John Darnielle and bassist/vocalist Rachel Ware from the Bright Mountain Choir) made its first sojourn away from the comfy confines of such Claremont haunts as the famed Munchie's to tour the Midwest and East Coast, and the lo-fi revolution was graced with its own "Baba O'Riley" in the obsessive interstate travel classic "Going to Georgia," which remains one of the most requested songs at the band's shows to this day. Over the album's 19 songs, the subject matter touches on everything from Russ Meyer's asskicking vixen Tura Satana to the Mesoamerican god Quetzalcoatl (the "zopilote" in the album's title is an ancient Mesoamerican term for "vulture", and the album is sprinkled with Aztec references) to the mother of Beowulf's man-eating troll Grendel to an impudent, vengeful version of a Roman caesar. We also get our first exposure to the famed "alpha couple" (a long-running Mountain Goats song theme revolving around a man and woman whose dysfunctional, alcohol-sodden relationship culminated in the 2002 Tallahassee album) in the album's galloping strumathon opener "Alpha Incipiens" ("We lean back and clink our glasses / Raise the drinks to our mouths / Thick as molasses / Ice cold vodka easing in / As the low pressure system brings the breezes in"), "Alpha Sun Hat" and "Alpha in Tauris" (which features another classic line: "We're pictures of decency when we wave goodbye outside / Yeah, I'm the model of composure out there / But you ought to see me shaking later on"). The overall style is vintage Mountain Goats: mostly home-recorded songs lasting around two minutes, featuring just John Darnielle's voice, his somewhat primitive acoustic guitar freneticism, and memorable hooks a-plenty. A few of the album's tracks, including "Going to Georgia," were recorded at KSPC in Claremont, and these feature the background vocals of the 4 women who made up the short-lived Bright Mountain Choir. The album has been out of print for 4 years and never released on vinyl, so this reissue will hopefully act as a proverbial life vest for the legion of Mountain Goats fans who refuse to pay the $50 and up prices the original CD has been going for on Ebay.
1.
Alpha Incipiens (MP3)
"A" rating "With three studio albums under his belt, John Darnielle appears to have ditched his lo-fi roots forever. And as critical acclaim for those three albums has piled up, the fans championing his older work have quieted down. The battle between old-Goats die-hards and new-Goats converts has been dominated by the converts. We old-Goats fans have been called backwards and elitist—opposed to both creative evolution and the large-scale distribution of and publicity for a cult artist. But no! We merely love the understated elegance, the cryptic symbolism, and the far-flung literary allusions of his older songs. This battle between old and new should end in a truce. I’m a stalwart old-Goats man myself, but The Sunset Tree hasn’t left my CD player since its release. But I fear that neo-Goats fans aren’t doing the opposite: luckily, the good people at 3 Beads of Sweat have repressed two classic early Mountain Goats albums—1994’s Zopilote Machine and 1996’s Nothing for Juice and made it easier than ever to investigate Darnielle’s early career. For Mountain Goats fans of any age or denomination, this review ends here. Snap these albums up immediately. The indomitable classic “Going to Georgia” justifies the purchase price of Zopilote Machine. A cover of legendary bluesman Robert Johnson’s “Hellhound on my Trail” does the same for Nothing for Juice. So quit all applications, shut down the computer, grab your car keys, and post your fawning praise in the comments section after a few listens. For the rest of you out there, don’t worry—these aren’t merely documents for completists. Zopilote Machine in particular is one of the most energetic and vibrant albums in Darnielle’s catalogue. Haphazardly backed by the four-woman Bright Mountain Choir, Darnielle delivers a concentrated blast of emotion and imagery, riddled with the wonderful songwriting motifs that have typified his career. That being said, surprises lie in store for the listener. These songs don’t announce their dramatic intent immediately. Indeed you might hear them several times before they hit you. Oh, but when they do… “Grendel’s Mother” exhibits this perfectly. The guitar strums along unremarkably, the lyrics are delivered in a pensive drawl—nothing over-emotive here—but when Darnielle hits the chorus of “I will carry you home in my teeth” the sadness and anger of the beast’s mother will put a lump in your throat. “Orange Ball of Love” and “Orange Ball of Hate” also merit special praise. The first is a quirky story of a man bitterly in love with a snitch. Terse, brilliant verses abound—“Well, I know you’ll be turning me in / But I also know your real name’s not Amy Lynn” and “I know that you're wearing a wire / But as the sun becomes a blazing orange ball of fire / I lose interest in this and other such inconsequential questions” being among the best. “Orange Ball of Hate” is, contrary to the title, a stunning love song anchored by the gee-whiz sincerity of its chorus—“Sure do love you”—repeated at the end of each verse. In this song, Darnielle eschews the narrative form that dominates his recent work, instead opting for a series of poetic moments in the relationship. Listen—I could praise nearly every song, so I’ll have to cut it short. You know what you’re getting with these two albums: 30+ songs of enthusiastic, but not virtuosic guitar strumming sometimes accompanied by a bass, or, ever-so-rarely, an organ or the screeching electric guitar of Graeme Jeffries (featured on three songs in Nothing for Juice). But more importantly, you get 30+ songs from John Darnielle at his creative peak. Arguably. But I’m not interested in the argument; I’m too busy singing along." -Brian Berge |
