The Sunset Tree

The Mountain Goats 13th album. Full band.

Darnielle dedicates the album to his stepfather – by whom the album was "made possible." The album contains many lyrics referring to Darnielle's abusive childhood – especially noticeable in the songs "This Year" "Dance Music", and "Hast Thou Considered the Tetrapod." The tone of the album is somber and serious, dealing with Darnielle's longing for escape and his feelings of powerlessness, leading up to the song "Lion's Teeth", which has been described by Darnielle as a "revenge fantasy".

The album is summed up in the final two songs: "Love, Love, Love", in which he extols the virtue and folly of doing things for reasons of love, and "Pale Green Things", a quiet story in which the singer recalls a time when his stepfather took him out to watch the horses at the racetrack. Darnielle closes the song, and the album, with a lyric of his sister calling him to inform him of his stepfather's death.

Download