The Mountain Goats
Get Lonely
4AD/Remote Control


"I will find a crowd, and blend in for a minute, I will try to find a little comfort in it, and I will get lonely, and gasp for air, and send your name up from my lips..."

Oh, what a sad, sad record this is. John Darnielle picks and picks at the wounds of a broken relationship, ruminating over and over about the girl who left and who clearly broke his heart. It's raw stuff and, unlike its predecessor 'The Sunset Tree', on which Darnielle exorcised his abusive stepfather's demons, there doesn't appear to be an end in sight. Despite the grimness of the subject matter, 'The Sunset Tree' had an essentially hopeful message; on 'Get Lonely' there is no resolution or redemption. Darnielle hasn't even the strength to get angry, or to attempt to understand why. Rather, here he wallows in mournfulness as he documents what it feels like to be hurt and lost.

That said, this is also a starkly beautiful record. Where Darnielle once declared his lyrics, here he barely whispers them. Appropriately, the songs for the most part are quiet and subdued and usually feature little more than a hushed acoustic guitar, cello and simple, evocative piano motifs. Initially it's hard work, but ultimately worthwhile, as some breathtakingly lovely melodies emerge (particularly on Half Dead, Get Lonely, Song For Lonely Giants, and Woke Up New). And, of course, Darnielle's lyrical mastery remains undiminished. If someone has to articulate heartache and loneliness with this sort of rigour, let it be John Darnielle.

Peter Strelan