The Mountain Goats — We Shall All Be Healed

The Mountain Goats follow up 2002's gloomy Tallahassee with We Shall All Be Healed. John Darnielle's distinctively high, slightly nasal voice is still at the forefront and the sound is as lo-fi as ever, but Darnielle has fleshed out his ranks with gentle touches of piano (Franklin Bruno), bass (Peter Hughes) and mournful fiddle (Nora Danielson). We Shall All Be Healed lives up to its name in that the songs are faster-paced and relatively energetic. Opening track "Slow West Vultures" almost gives off the feel of a Western movie theme. Lyrically hopeful, Darnielle sings, "I'm going to stop and make amends to everyone I've wounded."

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