The Life of the World to Come out now
06 October 09
With John Darnielle remaining the band’s creative hub - this time flanked by Peter Hughes and Jon Wurster - the new album from The Mountain Goats, is released this week.
The Life of the World to Come is their sixth album for 4AD, and is less a profession of religious faith than an immersion in Biblical poetry and imagery. The songs take their cue from verses that have either informed or inspired them; “I guess the obvious question is going to be: "John, have you had some sort of religious awakening?" and while I guess lots of people might want to be coy about answering that, that's never really been my style, so: no. It's not like that. It's not some heavy-narrative-distance deal either, though, and it's not a screed. It's twelve songs the Bible taught me, kind of.”
The album was recorded between April and June this year; first at Electrical Audio with Brandon Eggleston, then at Sonic Ranch with John Congleton, and finally
at Baucom Road with Scott Solter (who also mixed the entire album there). It also features string arrangements from Owen Pallett (Final Fantasy), who has also worked in a similar capacity with the varied likes of Arcade Fire, fellow Polaris Award winners Fucked Up, The Last Shadow Puppets and The Pet Shop Boys.
For a limited period, when ordered through Rough Trade from HERE, the record comes with an exclusive bonus disc of prime offcuts from the recordings. Darnielle elucidates: "These versions of the songs are the life of The World to Come in its earliest incarnation. The two which were recorded in studios were tracked while on tour within an hour or two of their composition; the others, recorded at home, are often still works in progress at the moment when I hit "record." A couple of these didn't end up getting tracked for the final version of the album. The Life of the World in flux does what it says on the tin: it will always be just coming into focus. Thank heaven for all the little things that blur."
The Mountain Goats are touring both the US and Europe around release:
OCTOBER
9 Amsterdam Paradiso, Netherlands
10 London Queen Elizabeth Hall, UK
11 Manchester Ruby Lounge, UK
13 Paris La Point Ephemere, France
15 Berlin Magnet, Germany
NOVEMBER
4 Ladies Literary Club (Calvin College), Grand Rapids, MI #
5 The Metro, Chicago, IL #
6 High Noon Saloon, Madison, WI #
7 Cedar Cultural Centre, Minneapolis, MN #
10 the Showbox, Seattle, WA #
11 Wonder Ballroom, Portland, OR #
14 The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA #
15 Henry Fonda Theater, Los Angeles, CA #
18 Antones, Austin, TX #
19 Granada Theater, Dallas TX #
20 Mercy Lounge, Nashville TN #
21 the Variety Playhouse, Atlanta, GA #
23 the Social, Orlando, FL #
24 Café 11, St. Augustine, FL #
27 9:30 Club, Washington, DC #
28 Theater of Living Arts, Philadelphia, PA #
29 Wilbur Theatre, Boston MA #
DECEMBER
1 Webster Hall, New York, NY #
2 Bell House, Brooklyn, NY #
# full band, with Final Fantasy
The Life Of The World To Come
Released 05 October 2009