The Mountain Goats - The Life Of The World To Come

this is about the right pace of music for my current tastes(said tastes shift a lot depending on my mood), but it's a little more religious/preachy than i would have normally liked.  and it doesn't really hide the fact that it might get a bit religious at times, what with all the songs being named after bible passages.  but in the end, i can't say i didn't enjoy the album.

i can't really compare this band to anything else, because it really is fairly singular in it's combination of musical and lyrical styles.  it stands out from the stuff i've listened to lately, and in a good way.  lyrically, i haven't really heard much of this style, as it doesn't have a standard structure really, or a rhyming pace that it sticks to from song to song.  it literally just flows along as the songs play.  and it works wonderfully.  i've heard songs before that try to use the same sort of lyrical style, but they all felt disjointed and messy(wish i could remember some examples).  this album isn't any of those things, it's a masterpiece of songwriting.

i wish i had the words to convey just how beautiful this album can be as it meanders it's way from beginning to end.  and i really do mean that when i say 'meanders'.  the album doesn't progress as much as it just happens to find it's way to the end of the CD.  which is perfect if you're looking for something to put on while you cook or clean, or really do anything that requires that you might not actually pay full attention to what's playing on the stereo.

i can't really say that the album is ambient in nature, since it isn't, but this is the kind of album that you can enjoy on many levels, not just when you're relaxing with some music on, doing nothing but listening.

there are a couple songs that stand out while you're listening, but not so much that they interrupt the album.  these songs, "Psalms 40:2" and "1 John 4:16" both just get... remembered, as you listen to the album over and over.  the rest of the album just drifts along, opening quietly with "1 Samuel 15:23" and ending with "Ezekiel 7 and the Permanent Efficacy Of Grace", a fantastic piano piece that just soaks into you as you relax.

i could keep going on about how great this album is, but it's better if you just go listen to it.