Bitter Melon Farm

183. Star Dusting

Alex Russell Bitter Melon Farm, Transmissions to Horace , , , , , , , , ,

In a casino in old Las Vegas, the Alpha Couple tries and fails to communicate.

Track: “Star Dusting”
Album: Transmissions to Horace (1993) and Bitter Melon Farm (1999)

The Stardust Resort and Casino stood in Las Vegas for decades. You probably would recognize the sign, it’s one of the iconic pieces of Vegas that you know even if you haven’t been there. The place isn’t around anymore; a company says they’re building a new Chinese-themed resort in a few years. The Wikipedia article for it is not well policed. One mundane fact includes ten separate citations, most of which are personal YouTube videos with memories and slideshows. The article is extremely long and includes a ton of asides and rambling details, all of which create an endearing sense of the love people felt for this defunct casino.

“Star Dusting” borrows the resort’s name and shows us an early day in the Alpha Couple’s lives. One mumbles at another and they attempt to communicate. It all breaks down as one perceives the sound of bells ringing out from the other’s throat. “I thought I heard bells ringing // But then I remembered that I no longer knew what bells sounded like” is pure John Darnielle, with a very confusing image crammed into two lines. The song lazes along over slow guitar and the droning delivery of a drunken evening in Las Vegas. These two have spent a year in this place and it’s definitely not going to get any better any time soon. John Darnielle opens the song by stating the date and saying “this is a horror story,” and you can feel the tension build. It all won’t pay off in explosion for over a decade, but the anger of “No Children” is already there.

173. Short Song About the 10 Freeway

Alex Russell Bitter Melon Farm, Songs for Peter Hughes , , , , , , , ,

 

“Short Song About the 10 Freeway” is just that, but it’s also a look into the distant past.

Track: “Short Song About the 10 Freeway”
Album: Songs for Peter Hughes (1995) and Bitter Melon Farm (1999)

In September of 2016, John Darnielle played a show in Columbus, Ohio and played “Short Song About the 10 Freeway.” He said it was the first song he ever played outside of California. He followed it up with two of the other songs from Songs for Peter Hughes. It seems like it was a cool show.

There’s more to know, here. In 1994, John Darnielle played at a venue in Columbus named Stache’s. You can hear a tape of the 24-minute performance, where John Darnielle sounds very young and closes with the 51-word “Short Song About the 10 Freeway.” Stache’s is closed now and is remembered by some heartfelt blog posts and a brief comment at that 2016 show where John Darnielle says he knows the tape is out there but he hasn’t listened to it.

I tell you all this to make you consider what memory means. The title tells you this is a short song, indeed there are barely 50 words in it. As you listen to 500+ songs on your journey through the world of the Mountain Goats, you will spend very little of it with this one. You’ll never go to Stache’s again and you’ll never hear the Mountain Goats in 1994 again. You will, however, briefly picture a sunset and a person in a car in California and you will experience the odd peace that this image grants you. Rachel Ware’s backing vocals and the deliberate strumming will help you. You will picture this and you will move on, but consider for a moment what John Darnielle saw in this image in 1994 in a bar named after the owner’s mustache. The devil really is in the details.

162. Rain Song

Alex Russell Bitter Melon Farm , , , , , , , , ,

“Rain Song” sings the praises of one of John Darnielle’s peers and includes the unique rhyme of “hibachi” and “Callaci.”

Track: “Rain Song”
Album: Bitter Melon Farm (1999)

In 1994, a label called Union Pole Records released 700 copies of I Present This, a compilation album of eight songs. It features six bands I’m not aware of, “Rain Song” by the Mountain Goats, and “Waitress” by Refrigerator. You can buy a copy online. In the interest of disclosure, I haven’t, and I have found it impossible to otherwise hear “Waitress.”

Refrigerator matters in this context because it is Allen Callaci’s band. “Rain Song” exists solely to tell the listener that John Darnielle wishes he could sing like Allen Callaci. This is either funny because John Darnielle knew this would be on a compilation with the same guy or it’s funny because someone decided they had to go together. Either way works.

Allen Callaci comes up a few times through the liner notes and expanded universe of the Mountain Goats. He sings the final verses on “Lonesome Surprise.” He does have a unique voice. It’s worth looking up some Refrigerator albums, if for no other reason than to hear what John Darnielle heard in his voice.

“Rain Song” really is that simple. “Drop by drop // gallon by gallon // brother if I could sing // if I could sing like Allen” is as straightforward as John Darnielle gets. The liner notes on the reissue say as much again as John Darnielle says this song “takes it’s ball and goes home” after establishing that Allen Callaci is a great singer.

A full fourth of the song is John Darnielle’s intro. He describes either the morning or evening of January 24, 1994 and the lack of a title for “Rain Song.” The whole song is a reminder that John Darnielle has heroes and that small moments matter, so despite the straightforwardness of the message, it’s a worthy piece of the whole.

155. Black Molly

Alex Russell Bitter Melon Farm , , , , , , ,

In the angry “Black Molly,” a narrator makes a dramatic statement about a former love.

Track: “Black Molly”
Album: Bitter Melon Farm (1999)

“Black Molly” was recorded live in Virginia, most likely in 1996. The liner notes on Bitter Melon Farm confirm it was at Tokyo Rose, which means it’s probably this show. Right after, John Darnielle played “Waving at You,” which he’s called one of the angriest Mountain Goats songs. Later in the night, he delivered a 1-2-3 of “Nine Black Poppies,” “Going to Georgia,” and “Raja Vocative.” He opened with “Alpha Omega” and closed with “Cubs in Five.”

There’s a lot that makes this show compelling. Every song he played came out on an official album, which is rarely true these days, but there’s also a through line to the set list. They’re all about pain in relationships. True, a significant chunk of the catalog is, but this show really stands out. Even the songs where he steps off the gas like “Minnesota” and “The Recognition Scene” have dark connections. It’s important to remember that most of the catalog isn’t autobiographical, but it’s clear that on this night in September of 1996, John Darnielle wanted to talk about how things can take a turn.

Every version of “Black Molly” is great, but the crowd here adds a sense that this is a shared experience. A black molly is either a vicious fighting fish or a slang term for speed, depending on usage. Either one works for the furious narrator in “Black Molly.” The character rends their garments and breaks their stuff when they realize someone is in town and coming to visit them. “You were dragging me down again,” they say, as they fire bullets into reminders of their former love like a ringing phone and photographs. This person is unhinged, to be sure, but they’re at home emotionally among the other narrators on that night in 1996.

146. Pure Love

Alex Russell Bitter Melon Farm, Songs for Petronius , , , , , , , ,

 

A repetitive Casio keyboard and a desperate narrator entreat a lover to not go through with a mysterious plan on “Pure Love.”

Track: “Pure Love”
Album: Songs for Petronius (1992) and Bitter Melon Farm (1999)

“Pure Love” is 25 years old at the time of this writing. John Darnielle played it in October in Colorado, which you can check out here, and mentioned that it was the second time it had ever been played live. It would be impossible to describe it without using the word “obscure.”

It’s played on the old Casio keyboard that makes many appearances in the early Mountain Goats work. When John Darnielle played it in Colorado he played it on piano, which is fitting considering the upcoming album is the first to be entirely without guitar. He’s been slowly heading that way more and more and it will be really fascinating to see the result of an all-piano album.

The keyboard songs aren’t a good place to start if you’re a new fan. “Pure Love” especially is a little grating, if we’re being honest, though the playful, repetitive tune matches the lyrics well. “It won’t be necessary,” John Darnielle repeats, as he pleads with another character. The other lover, we can assume, is up to no good. The narrator presumes as much in the first verse and is more direct in the second as they ask their lover to remove a ski mask. Crimes and potential crimes abound on Mountain Goats albums, and even if this is a metaphorical one, it’s one our narrator fears.

Across the five songs on Songs for Petronius you will notice lots of repetition. None of them use the device like “Pure Love,” where the narrator’s resolve cracks as they keep saying “it won’t be necessary.” You must always question the reliability of your narrator, and you know, I think it just might end up being necessary in this case.

125. Early Spring

Alex Russell Bitter Melon Farm, Transmissions to Horace , , , , , , , ,

Spring is typically a time of renewal, but the Mountain Goats remind us that not every new sensation is a good one in “Early Spring.”

Track: “Early Spring”
Album: Transmissions to Horace (1993) and Bitter Melon Farm (1999)

“Early Spring” is the second song on Transmissions to Horace, the very early Mountain Goats album. Like every other song on the album, it was played in San Francisco in 2014 when John Darnielle played every song in order on one weird, beautiful summer night. After “Early Spring” one guy shouted “cover to cover” as a request. He hoped that, somehow, John Darnielle might play all 10 of those ancient songs in a row. He got what he wanted.

The album version is slow and creepy. John Darnielle’s voice is almost emotionless as he lists the truths of a couple’s current state of affairs. The coffee’s worse than it used to be, the paint’s peeling, and even jokes and songs have lost their luster. He lists these problems and closes each verse with “and I know you” twice. The narrator survived the winter with someone but now, in the spring, it seems like they see their situation in a much worse way.

The live version is what that guy wanted to hear. He wanted to hear John Darnielle speed up the delivery and howl “it’s a lie!” The second verse that night in San Francisco is why this song exists. You can hear John Darnielle’s fury and the emotion the narrator wants their mundane complaints to carry. “I know you” is a simple sentence that carries real darkness here, and it’s telling that even when John Darnielle yells the rest of the song he lowers his voice to deliver “I know you” the only way it can come across. It might be a period on the end of this relationship or it might just be the sign of another bad night, but it’s undeniably loaded no matter what.

102. The Lady from Shanghai

Alex Russell Bitter Melon Farm, Songs for Petronius , , , , , , , , , , ,

Named for an equally creepy Orson Welles movie, “The Lady from Shanghai” is unsettling in the best way possible.

Track: “The Lady from Shanghai”
Album: Songs for Petronius (1992) and Bitter Melon Farm (1999)

“‘The Lady from Shanghai,’ though — when I hear that comparatively young man get all breathy there, I see what he means, and I feel like he was onto something.” – John Darnielle, liner notes for Bitter Melon Farm

In 1947, Orson Welles wrote and directed a movie called The Lady from Shanghai. It occupies two places in cultural history. It’s either a masterpiece of noir or a tangled mess of indulgent Orson Welles stuff. Your perspective is your own, but it’s a classic and it’s one of the strangest experiences available on screen.

It’s strange to the point that some people seem to argue that it doesn’t make sense or flow as a narrative, but the basic points are pretty easy to follow. Orson Welles plays an Irish sailor who rescues Rita Hayworth during an attack in a park. Welles then discovers she’s married, but her husband hires him to man his yacht during a long, bizarre cruise that involves his lawyer and other strange figures who might not be what they seem. Everyone gets tangled in a plot and everyone has a secret motive, but can Welles untangle them all and save his life?

The song is breathy, as Darnielle notes, and it’s sung directly to someone. The film features frequent turns to camera where characters cackle or speak ominously. These are ostensibly to other characters, but they are directed straight at the audience. Both the song and the film create an eerie mood that will unsettle anyone who consumes either. The film really needs to be seen, but without viewing it you can still appreciate the state of mind of Darnielle’s characters. They’re wrapped up in something and all they can do now is walk towards their destiny.

094. Alpha Desperation March

Alex Russell Bitter Melon Farm, Transmissions to Horace , , , , , , , , ,

 

“Alpha Desperation March” is either creepy or funny depending on your perspective, but it’s definitely evocative.

Track: “Alpha Desperation March”
Album: Transmissions to Horace (1993) and Bitter Melon Farm (1999)

“Alpha Desperation March” is primarily one of the earliest songs in the Alpha series about the Alpha Couple, the miserable lovers that show up in dozens of Mountain Goats songs before their entire album Tallahassee. It’s also a test for the band. It’s a bitter song told from the perspective of an angry lover who confronts their other half and then laughs uncomfortably at them for nearly 30 seconds.

It may be challenging to start with “Alpha Desperation March” if you’re new to the band. The early Goats songs have a high price of admission sometimes and the uncomfortable laughter at the end is a prime example. If you’re well versed in the world of John Darnielle you’ll understand it as an eerie coda to the argument his narrator has over the course of the song. You might understand that without any other Mountain Goats knowledge, but it would assume that you’ve had some hard times with someone that involved money and love and I don’t want to assume anything about you.

It’s a classic from the early era and I call it a test because it’s completely understandable that someone who just wants polished, produced, full sound will probably not understand the love for “Alpha Desperation March” and that’s OK. There are plenty of albums that fit those descriptions, but it’s amazing in a totally different way that John Darnielle was already capable in 1993 of writing “see I’m perfectly aware of where our love stands // but the plain fact is that you owe me eight grand // if it helps to jog your memory I lent to you one Tuesday when we were drinking.” You can just see this argument and you can feel it with the bite on “drinking.”

 

 

078. Faithless Bacchant Song

Alex Russell Bitter Melon Farm , , , , , , ,

In the very silly “Faithless Bacchant Song,” a presumably drunk character battles a toad that talks.

Track: “Faithless Bacchant Song”
Album: Bitter Melon Farm (1999)

There is much to love about the fun little song that is “Faithless Bacchant Song.” It’s part of the original “funny” songs that John Darnielle sometimes wrote in the early days. There are still remnants of that old style in the modern Goats songs, notably the “I personally will stab you in the eye” line in “Foreign Object.” If you get the jokes, you enjoy them. If you don’t, then maybe a song where a numbered toad speaks to a man in a clearing just isn’t going to work for you.

Bitter Melon Farm is a compilation album which includes a lot of hard-to-find Goats songs from the first years of the band. John Darnielle says in the liner notes that he feels compelled to not re-release material because it removes the skill of finding those gems on other albums. It’s similar to a story he tells about including great songs on foreign releases, just to be devious and hide some of his best work. It’s a bit tongue-in-cheek, but Darnielle says this song forced his hand on the re-release because the original version had bacchant spelled with one c. He couldn’t let the world think he didn’t know how to spell “bacchant,” which is a follower of Bacchus, the god of wine.

The song is genuinely funny. “Somewhere in the damn forest” is an all-time-great opening line and “fire-bellied toad number five // from what may or may not have been a limited series” is a beautifully specific absurdity. It all leads to a stanza from a folk song about playing with a friend, but the real gem is the ending. It’s a shame this doesn’t get some weird, one-off live play, because “honey it was downright creepy” deserves to be heard yelled from a stage.

058. Teenage World

Alex Russell Bitter Melon Farm, Transmissions to Horace , , , , , , , ,

In “Teenage World,” the narrator is baffled by a present from someone they’re clearly fed up with in other ways.

Track: “Teenage World”
Album: Transmissions to Horace (1993) and Bitter Melon Farm (1999)

At a show in 2014, John Darnielle played every song from Transmissions to Horace and repeatedly referenced it with some self-deprecating commentary. Darnielle mostly walks a line between “the old songs aren’t as good” and “there are people who love these old songs” and the result is that everything gets played, but some of it gets played with a bit of a smile.

During “Teenage World” at that old-school set, Darnielle got one line into the song before he had to ask the crowd for a line. When you have hundreds and hundreds of songs in your catalog, you can be forgiven for not remembering every detail about all of them. I’ve always found it endearing that Darnielle is willing to play songs that he still loves but might not really know anymore. There are stories of fans having to pull up lyrics on their phone to help the band get through particularly obscure moments, but my favorite is a live performance of “Riches and Wonders” where Darnielle forgot a line, only to hear one lone female voice help out with “we are strong!” from the crowd. A Goats show is a unique experience, but a Goats show with older songs is something else entirely.

“Teenage World” is fairly straightforward: the narrator gets a gift of a rabbit and doesn’t know what it’s supposed to signify. They decide to make the best of it and drive the rabbit into the rich part of town while they roll on down the highway pumped up full of recreational ADHD drugs. It’s specific, but that feeling of not understanding your significant other is very relatable. “I’m sick and tired of trying to figure out your gestures?” We’ve all been there.