https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTrDJm_70BE

The heavy punctuation in the vocals of “Hast Thou Considered the Tetrapod” forcefully demands your attention.

Track: “Hast Thou Considered the Tetrapod”
Album: The Sunset Tree (2005)

I don’t know if it’s just me, but I’d heard “Hast Thou Considered the Tetrapod” hundreds of times before the first time I considered the title. I originally wrote “there’s something about it,” but it’s that there are so many things about it. The balance is incredible, with thunderous percussion and guitar that would ordinarily feel too loud except that John Darnielle’s vocals are especially piercing. I’m sure there are people who don’t like that whine over “deep in the dream chamber” but I can’t imagine them. I think there’s a case to be made that this is his best vocal performance.

It’s easy to speak in hyperbole with the Mountain Goats. A few years back they released a shirt and series of stickers that said “I Only Listen to the Mountain Goats,” which gave way to the podcast of the same name. It’s a joke, but is it a joke? Hyperbole aside, I make the case for this as the strongest vocal performance not because it’s the best empirical performance, but because it’s so well suited to what’s happening. He grits his teeth and overemphasizes for impact. It feels like a series of gut punches, with that percussion like a tense heartbeat in the background. I’ve never been able to listen to it casually, it draws me out of whatever I’m doing. It’s really worth seeing live, as well. The studio performance here is crisp, but it gains another level with the drawn out last line as it bleeds into exuberant dance music. It’s the moment that you allow yourself to hope it can get better when all evidence points to the contrary.