The Mountain Goats — The Sunset Tree

The Sunset Tree is the 19th disc from super-prolific main Mountain Goat John Darnielle. The record’s middle-of-nowhere desolation and folk-pop songs about nature and demons might mistake Darnielle for being Canadian, but we'd gladly accept the troubadour as one of our own. Possessing a sharp voice and literate lyricism of The Weakerthans' John K. Samson and The Decemberists' Colin Meloy, Darnielle takes his studio-band collection of bummed-out acoustic tunes and, with the help of cellist Eric Friedlander, adds a bit of baroque horror on striking tracks like "Dilaudid" and "Lion's Teeth." Still, it's the delicate material, especially the glowing "Love Love Love," that's most heartbreakingly beautiful.

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