Mountain Goats - Tallahassee
(4AD/Beggars)

Like an indie Loudon Wainwright III, John Darnielle finally abandons his lo-fi stance after ten years of cassette-only releases recorded primarily on a boom box. This is still a mostly quiet, acoustic affair, but a band does provide backing on a couple cuts, including the punk-folk of the Hamell On Trial-esque "See America Right." There are many gems among these 14 songs about lovers in a dangerous time, and it’s almost worth it just to hear someone sing "Our love is like the border between Greece and Albania." Purists bemoaning the fact that Darnielle’s yarns are no longer shrouded in tape hiss will simply have to get over it.
address: 4AD

YEAH YEAH YEAH, 2003