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All Hail West Texas is the sixth studio album by the Mountain Goats. After the slight increase in production values on The Coroner's Gambit album of 2000, All Hail West Texas was the last Mountain Goats album recorded entirely on John Darnielle's trademark Panasonic RX-FT500 boombox until 2020's Songs for Pierre Chuvin. Similarly, it marked the end of an era for the band, as it was the last album by the Mountain Goats to feature only John Darnielle until 2020. The cover advertises that the album consists of "fourteen songs about seven people, two houses, a motorcycle, and a locked treatment facility for adolescent boys." Several songs were written to appear on the record that were not included in its final version. Three were given away on the Tiny Mix Tapes website ("Song for God," "Warm Lonely Planet," and "Waco"). Darnielle said there was a full set of fifteen outtakes that he intended to release for free one day, but he destroyed them after hearing about the leak of Hail and Farewell, Gothenburg. It is not known whether that set included the three listed above. In May 2013, Darnielle announced that Merge Records would reissue All Hail West Texas on July 23 of that year, on vinyl for the first time. The announcement included a link to an explanatory essay by Matt Fraction.[7] The reissue includes remastered versions of the original recordings, seven previously unreleased tracks contemporary to the original album, and a new 1,800-word essay by Darnielle about the album and his writing process.
One of the best albums from one of my favorite outfits ever. One of my more memorable concert experiences. Even chatted with John after the show. I think I'd have gone with Sunset Tree, but this is still perfection.
I think I'm supposed to say, "I only listen to the Mountain Goats," here. That being said, I've always been a casual fan, enjoying the singles (especially, yes of course, "This Year") but after listening to this, I can understand the hype. It's simple, but clearly very earnest. I've incidentally read one of John Darnielle's novels, and one thing I always appreciated of him was his ability to paint small, Mid/western America with a gorgeous brush. That carries through here. Favorite tracks: "The Best Ever Death Metal Band In Denton", "Balance", "Distant Stations"
One of my indie marks of shame growing up was that I went to college in Denton, Texas, yet never truly listened to The Mountain Goats (and missed out on many hometown shows) out of a fear that I never "got" their music. Coming back a decade later, I understand why the younger version of myself struggled – this is a narrative LP through and through, the only things guiding the listener through a threadbare acoustic and Darnielle's monotone storytelling. Maybe it's my age, maybe it's the fact I left my home state behind a long time ago, but listening back to these intimate corners of life set in familiar locales finally hit home. The consistent minimal lo-fi instrumentation does threaten to wear a bit thin in the middle, but the genuine nature and slightly sardonic lens we're given to look through at these human situations carries the LP enough to make it to the finish line. This is the highest I've rated a singer-songwriter LP by far (it's one of my least favorite genres instrumentally), and I'm definitely giving this bonus cred due to my Texas pride, but I cannot deny how well-composed and real this album feels.
This was alright, but it could have been so much better. I'm not opposed to a DIY/home recording approach (Nebraska by Bruce Springsteen is one of my favorite albums) but this didn't work that well for me. It just comes across as being slightly pretentious and overly clever. Still giving it 3 stars, because at the core the songs are solid.
One of the roughest albums I've ever heard. Cursory research has revealed that the album was recorded directly into a cassette boom box, and I can't fathom why. The songs seem to do a lot of meandering in the lyrics. Mildly curious to listen to one of the albums with a full band instead of one man and a boom box.
I'm bored out of my mind, how can they classify this as Rock on the record? Even their best tracks don't work for me...next.
I'm all about Mr. John Darnielle, going way back to the mid 90s - though with the common caveat that I'm not that cool, this is another one I was introduced to by my brother. Saw him perform in a tiny bar venue in Uptown Minneapolis around '95, '96 (with Rachel Ware on bass) and just a couple years ago with the band, packing the First Avenue mainroom with an impressively cross-generational crowd from Z to X and probably a few Boomers in the mix. The home recording on the early stuff has its charms though it is ultimately limited, and as a musician at that point his playing served its purpose but was nothing to write essays about, but as a lyricist in the modern idiom he has few peers in my opinion.
5 4
Not the Mountain Goats album I'd have added to the list, but they're always so good.
Don't usually go for such clever lyrics, but this feels like it's coming from an honest place, rather than simply trying to impress. Perhaps it's the lo fi sound that lends it that credibility.
Really dug the lo-fi recording of this. Being from north Texas, liked the several references to areas around me. Cool album from someone I'd never heard of.
Lo-fi does not seem to be something I like
Rating: 6/10
The first three tracks are an absolute home run. Quirky clever low-fi storytelling. Though it sounds like it was recording on a cassette tape, it has charm. Unfortunately the success of this is based on whether the remaining songs can continue to capture your interest... and they start to fizzle a bit. The music doesn't seem to be the star... it is just there as background to carry along the storytelling, and though there are some interesting bits here and there, it is definitely starts to blend together. Interesting find.
This has grown on me since I listened to it. At first I was rolling my eyes at the shitty sound quality and the rest of the production and vocals but the more I think about it the more I think it fits the lyrics and overall vibe they're going for. As someone from Nebraska, it captures the feeling of growing up in a small rural area pretty well even if I didn't relate the exact things they were singing about.
Super lo-fi. Recorded by one man and a boom box. It works really well for the quirky yarns. Rating: 3.5 Playlist track: The Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton Date listened: 31/09/24
I appreciate the thought behind this concept. The lyricism is pretty terrific. I'm really not a fan of the Lo-fi sound of this album though. It could have been so much better. Fave Songs: Fault Lines, The Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton, Balance, Color in Your Cheeks
One of the songs stole a vocal melody from a NOFX song, but it was fleeting and mostly I just hated this. Lame Americana themes, vibe calls to brisket festivals and big moustaches/belt buckles - ironically, of course. And no doubt most of these guys' fans would shudder at those darkthrone albums recorded using a similar attention to detail RE equipment. 2/5.
Lest any geographically challenged people mock me for this review, the song doesn't match the title! Denton is north Texas, not west. Unless there's a north Denton in west Texas in the similar way that north Bend is no where geographically close to Bend, OR. Jenny sounds like Jesse's girl.
This was a bit of a snoozer. 15 tracks of some semblance of life in Texas. Didn’t really hit the mark for me as the singer has a sort of strained style of singing that feels like a Bob Dylan knock off. Plus the lyrics didn’t seem all that special. This was a miss and wouldn’t revisit it. 5.1/10
Poorly recorded voice and electric guitar - like basic demos. I’d rather listen to Billy Bragg.
Nothing special
Uh, no.