Monsieur L'Ingrate 2008-08-20

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

...is better than most people's best albums. And that's what this is: John D. doing basically what we've come to expect from him, repeating himself from time to time, but occasionally still hitting the perfect feeling (my favorite: the quick juxtaposition in "Autoclave" of a throne perched atop a pile of human skulls and the theme from "Cheers." Brilliant.). I personally am not into the production values...you sort of imagine him in a studio, with headphones, singing into one of those expensive microphones with screens, and suddenly he's not your fricking-genius buddy in his living room down the street any more. But here's the thing: as the Mountain Goats turns into a pop band, it reminds me more and more of the Cure. Could anyone interest Robert Smith in doing a cover album? That'd be hot.

Rudy Klapper 2008-08-10

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Singer-songwriter John Darnielle's folk-rock project Mountain Goats has been a mainstay of the lo-fi scene since 1991, but it wasn't until their last release, Get Lonely, that he started receiving mainstream attention. Unlike that record's nihilistic, depressing attitude, however, Heretic Pride is a welcome breath of exquisitely produced, introspective indie rock.

First, however, one must overcome Darnielle's unique voice: an odd cross between Neutral Milk Hotel and Chris Carrabba, a rather terrifying combination. On songs like "Autoclave" it is tuneful and melodic, complementing the acoustic instrumentation well, but on ones like the title track, it can take an off-putting turn towards high-pitched and whiny.

The production, however, is what truly elevates the album. From the graceful strings of "San Bernardino" to the vibrant percussion on "In The Craters On The Moon," each track sounds fleshed-out and musically rich.

The New Yorker once called Darnielle "America's best non-hip-hop lyricists." Now coupled with an amazing production team and far less morbid subjects, Mountain Goats seem ready for even greater success.

William Hoffknecht 2008-04-30

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

So the Mountain Goats are still in the game with John Darnielle still in the lead as one of the GREATEST songwriters ever.
If you are an old school fan of TMG's, then you probably will not like this album. It still lacks the raw power of acoustimatic/tape music with the simplicity of just guitar and vocals, but also, if you were turned off by the slowness of "Get Lonely", then do not fret, this album brings back some of the great driving riffs that we have all come to know and love.
I recommend this album on vinyl over cd, but I recommend almost any album on vinyl instead of cd.
I place this album within his top 5 releases.
Strong Points:
The opening track, Saw Rohmer #1 sets the pace for the album, good strong beats and the closing track (Not counting the bonus tracks that are available online), "Michael Myers Resplendent" starts slow, but really closes the album beautifully.
Low Points:
The songs "New Zion" (Do not get me wrong, I like the track, but it is a low point of the album) and "Craters of the Moon" are the weakest songs, but are in the middle chunk of the album so they kind of slide by nicely as well.
This is also the first album with an official drummer, Jon Wurster, who recorded and is touring with them now.

In the end, check it out for sure if you like good alt/indie rock. If you miss the folk/tape music styles of the older TMG's, then you might want to pass.

Graham D. Johnson 2008-03-13

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

The Mountain Goats' latest venture is a phenomenal piece of pop art that rarely fails to impress. It's less autobiographical and personal than some of Darnielle's later work, like The Sunset Tree, but it's so full of well-versed accoustic melodies and pop/folk singalongs that it's not a bad thing. after the initial obsession with catchier songs like "Heretic Pride", you'll find yourself litening to the moodier songs over and over again (Lovecraft in Brooklyn is a gem).

James Maxey 2008-03-09

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

Wow. This has been the only album in my CD player since I picked it up. I keep finding new favorite tracks to obsess about. So far, I've been fixated on "Marduk T-Shirt Men's Room Incident," "Autoclave," "In the Craters of the Moon," and "Lovecraft in Brooklyn," certain that each was my new favorite Mountain Goat song. When the album Get Lonely came out I was disappointed. I wondered if John Darnielle might have finally tapped out the creative vein he'd been mining for over a dozen albums. Every artist has to face that crisis eventually--after you release over three hundred songs like the Goat's have, it seems almost inevitable that eventually you start repeating yourself, or begin to parody your own work, or else veer so wildly from your roots into new territory that your old fans barely recognize you.

Yet, with Heretic Pride, John has managed to evolve, creating a sound that is different from what he's done before, yet still firmly rooted in the elements that make the Goat's so great--the unbeatable lyrics and the rawness and urgency of the music. The production values here are nothing like his low-fi days, but if you listen to the emotion on a song like "Craters of the Moon," you can hear something approaching panic driving the music, a fiery energy that sounds as if John must shout out the words now, as if his life depends on you listening to his vital message. I'm probably doing myself permanent hearing damage whenever I listen to "Lovecraft in Brooklyn," because I can't listen to the last lyric rush without cranking the volume in my car to the max, to better match the frantic tone of John's apocalyptic vision. This album is the next step in the evolution of the Mountain Goats, and quite possibly the first shot in a Mountain Goat revolution that will earn this band the wider following that it deserves.