The Mountain Goats: The Sunset Tree : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

The Mountain Goats' John Darnielle was the archetypal Nineties indie-rock bard, but ever since 2002's Tallahassee, he's been on a sick creative roll, making one gem after another. Tallahassee was a viciously funny song cycle about a shaky marriage; last year's We Shall All Be Healed was a tour of substance abuse; and now The Sunset Tree digs into childhood trauma with all the acoustic verve and wit you expect from this guy. The story is sad stuff: growing up in Seventies suburbia, stuck in a house full of abuse and despair, turning up the radio to drown out your stepfather's tantrums downstairs. But Darnielle's tender voice lifts gorgeous ballads such as "Up the Wolves," "Dance Music" and "This Year," vowing, "I'm gonna make it through this year if it kills me."