Mountain Goats
All Hail West Texas

By Ian Danzig

The one and only Mountain Goat John Darnielle has released this brilliant collection of indie pop folk songs over ten years into his very prolific recording history. Darnielle’s voice and guitar are the only sounds that grace this album, unless you include the wheel grind of his Panasonic RX-FT500 boom box. Darnielle is so happy with the imperfections created by this recording device that we find a detailed explanation of its malfunctioning parts in the liner notes. Darnielle never wants to impede the organic character of his songs and what it takes to put them on tape, and likewise the people described in these songs are vivid depictions of living beings, as human and imperfect as the music of the Mountain Goats. By keeping these songs in their most basic form, the quality songwriting shines through. Some might call this an impressive demo. Thankfully Darnielle isn’t going to try to fix anything when it isn’t really broken. (Emperor Jones)

1208 - Feedback is Payback
Adam Schmitt - Demolition
Air - Everybody Hertz
All the Dead Pilots - Easily Lost in the Present
Ark - Burn In The Sun
Avengers VI - Real Cool Hits
Black Moses - Emperor Deb
Bracket - Live in a Dive
Brick Layer Cake - Whatchamacallit
Brigada Flores Magon - Brigada Flores Magon
Budapest - Too Blind To Hear
Capitol City Dusters - Rock Creek
Carnations - Carnations
Chalk - Black Box Broken
Charles Webster - Born on the 24th of July
The Church - After Everything Now This
Clayton Bellamy Band - Clayton Bellamy Band
Coheed And Cambria - The Second Stage Turbine Blade
Constantines - The Modern Sinner Nervous Man
Cry Baby Cry - Jesus Loves Stacey
Daniel Ash - Daniel Ash
Deep Dark United - Fools!
Ed Harcourt - Here Be Monsters
El Vez - Boxing With God
Eleni Mandell - Snakebite
Face to Face - How to Ruin Everything
Filmmaker - Break This Fall
Gadjits - Today Is My Day
Gas Huffer - The Rest Of Us
Gloria Record - Start Here
Gomez - In Our Gun
Heat - Last Summer Again
Heather Nova - South
Hollowphonic - Majestic
Holy Curse - Rock ‘n’ Roll Ain’t No Solution!
Janet Panic - The Girl Who Passed For Normal
Japancakes - Belmond/Bliss Out Vol. 19
Jason and the Scorchers - Wildfires & Misfires
Jivaro - Jivarodelia
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Plastic Fang
Jordi Rosen - Madame Xavier
Knucklehead - Voice Among Us
La Makita Soma - Brighton Park
Lambchop - Is A Woman
Lasse Lindh - You Wake Up At Sea Tac
Lawrence Arms - Apathy and Exhaustion
Le Hammond Inferno - My First Political Dance Album
Leels - Leels
Les Viperes - Rock ‘n’ Roll Ain’t No Solution!
Limp - Limp
Log - Everytime A Bell Rings An Angel Gets His Wings
Lonely Kings - Crowning Glory
Lower Forty-Eight - Halfback
Lowest of the Low - Nothing Short Of A Bullet
Luna - Romantica
Manifesto Jukebox - Desire
Marato - Dirty Stories
Mary Margaret O’Hara - Apartment Hunting
Melody Unit - Choose Your Own Adventure
Midnight Oil - Capricornia
Mike Alviano - Jubilee
Milemarker - Frigid Forms Sell
Millencolin - Home From Home
Million Yen - Blue Television Windows
Monopot - Optipess
Mount Pleasant - CoCoRico
Mull Historical Society - Loss
N.E.R.D. - In Search Of...
Nobukazu Takemura - Sign
NOFX - BYO Split Series Vol. III
On The Air - Ready For Action Again
Orange Island - Everything You Thought You Knew
Paintbox - Singing Shouting Crying
Peter Green Splinter Group - Time Traders
Piebald - We Are the Only Friends We Have
Pinback - Blue Screen Life
Pop Unknown - The August Division
Priests - Streetwalker
Promise Ring - Wood/Water
Psychopunch - Original Scandinavian Superdudes
Rancid - BYO Split Series Vol. III
Ribbon Effect - EP98
Rival Schools - United By Fate
River City Rebels - Playing To Live… Living To Play
Rivulets - Rivulets
RockFour - Another Beginning
Rocky Votolato - Burning My Travels Clean
Rosekill - Rocked!Shocked!Thrilled!
Sainte Catherines - The Machine Gets Under Way
Saloon - (This Is) What We Call Progress
Sarah Shannon - Sarah Shannon
Sarah Slean - Night Bugs
Sharks Keep Moving - Pause and Clause
Sights - Are You Green?
Simple Plan - No Pads, No Helmets... Just Balls
Six Parts Seven - Things Shaped In Passing
Sleeping Flies - You Are Superior
Slowride - As I Survive the Suicide Bomber
Smogtown - Domesticviolenceland
Soledad Brothers - Steal Your Soul And Dare Your Spirit To Move
Songs: Ohia - Didn’t It Rain
Southpaw - Bite-Size Life
Spengler - We Need A Miracle
Sportique - Modern Museums
Stapleton - On The Enjoyment Of Unpleasant Places
Stratford 4 - The Revolt Against Tired Noises
Subb - The Ultimate Highstep To Hell
Taking Back Sunday - Tell All Your Friends
Teenage Fanclub & Jad Fair - Songs of Wisdom and Hope
Testify - Triviality Beyond Acceptance
Tetrezene - Lake No. 5
Thee Michelle Gun Elephant - Collection
Total Sound Group Direct Action Committee - Party Platform… Our Schedule Is Change
Trial By Fire - Ringing in the Dawn
Triple Word Score - The First In A Long Line Of Disasters
Tristeza - Mixed Signals
Various Artists - Peeler
Various Artists - The Warning Compilation
Various Artists - Instrobeat-2001 Canada West
Various Artists - Shot Spots: A Punk Tribute to Trooper
Violet Indiana - Casino
Virus Nine - What Are You Afraid Of?
The Walkmen - Everyone Who Pretended To Like Me Is Gone
Warsaw Pack - Gross Domestic Product
Wednesday Night Heroes - Wednesday Night Heroes
Witch Hazel Sound - This World, Then The Fireworks...
Yes - Magnification
Yuji Oniki - Tvi
Zen Guerilla - Shadows On The Sun
Zmrzlina - Katastrophe, Vol. 3
The first Uncharted was unheralded, an out-of-nowhere blast of awesome that finally let PS3 owners brag about the console's software, not just its hardware. Sure, its Indiana Jones-aping approach had previously been pixelated by Tomb Raider but Uncharted's art direction, ... Full Review
Commercial potential? The Avetts have it in spades, so don't be surprised if this disc blows up big. After building a grassroots following independently, the North Carolina trio signed to Rick Rubin's American label, and the man himself produced this, their fifth album. It's ready for primetime, as ... Full Review
Sitting in a Toronto coffee shop the week before the release of Little Girls' debut album, 20-year-old Josh McIntyre is a little worried. After an opening slot for crazed Israeli rockers Monotonix the previous night, the band's guitarist had his guitar amp repossessed. "He had it for a little longer than he was supposed to have it," he says dryly. A replacement needs to be wrangled before the band set out for their gig in Hamilton tonight.... Read More
Social Networking
• Be our friend on MySpace
• Be our fan on Facebook
Tweet us on twitter
Viewing the April 2002 Issue: Contents PageNewsClick Hear • Articles --> Points  •  Blab  •  Books  •  Critics Cliches  •  Net  •  Questionnaire  •  TV • Music Reviews --> Recently Reviewed  •  Aggressive Tendencies  •  Beats & Rhymes  •  Destination Out  •  Frequencies  •  Groove  •  Pop Rocks  •  Wood, Wires & Whiskey • Motion Reviews --> Recently Reviewed • Music School --> N/A Contests • Contact --> About Us  • Advertising  • Distribution  • Getting Reviewed  • Getting Published  • Letters To The Editor  • Partnerships  • Subscriptions • Exclaim! Radio --> Aggressive Tendencies Radio  • Beats & Rhymes Radio  • Frequencies Radio  • Destination Out Radio  • Groove Radio  • No Future Radio  • Pop Rocks Radio  • Wood, Wires & Whiskey Radio Exclaim! TV • Home & Latest Issue Browse Issues