Dark in Here

529. Arguing With the Ghost of Peter Laughner About His Coney Island Baby Review

Alex Russell Dark in Here , , , , , , ,

“Arguing With the Ghost of Peter Laughner About His Coney Island Baby Review” isn’t about that, obviously, but let’s also do that.

Track: “Arguing With the Ghost of Peter Laughner About His Coney Island Baby Review”
Album: Dark in Here (2021)

“Arguing With the Ghost of Peter Laughner About His Coney Island Baby Review” has nothing to do with Peter Laughner or Coney Island Baby. The liner notes for Dark in Here describe it as being for David Berman, who passed away in 2019 and was a massive figure in indie rock and the surrounding worlds. I’ll never forget finding Silver Jews and Pavement albums in the rack at my college radio station and having my mind blown. Berman’s death is a tragedy and the lyrical content here is a tribute to his life and the sadness of his passing.

The title is obviously something else, and the review in question is worth looking up if you don’t know it. I certainly did not, and it is truly out there. Someone claiming to be “approved by the estate of Peter Laughner” messaged John Darnielle a joke about the title here but you can also read the review itself and marvel at rock criticism in 1976. I think you can read multiple things into the title, but Peter Laughner died very young, David Berman was older but also died tragically, and Lou Reed at the time was seen as writing less-appreciated, more traditional stuff and creating a legacy not everyone was going to love after his origins as a genius and out-there. You can absolutely interpret this multiple ways, but Darnielle’s disagreement with the review is tangential to the message and that part is clear and beautiful.

447. The New Hydra Collection

Alex Russell Dark in Here , , , , , , ,

The Mountain Goats continue to examine people who operate outside of humanity in “The New Hydra Collection.”

Track: “The New Hydra Collection”
Album: Dark in Here (2021)

I really like Dark in Here. This is not a hot take, but sometimes the albums take time to grow on me. I still haven’t found one I don’t like, which also shouldn’t be surprising now nearly 500 of these into my tenure. Dark in Here hit me immediately and nothing hit me as hard as “The New Hydra Collection.” As of this writing, there’s exactly one live performance you can go hear. The band calls it “a new one.” There’s probably no argument that it’s the best song on the album, but something about it really appeals to me.

The story will hit you the first time you hear it. Someone is “hell bent on doing the work that you cowards won’t do.” The title tells you, but the lyrics reinforce, yes, we’re gonna bring some sea monsters up out of this lake. With any other band you might wonder what we’re talking about here, but with the Mountain Goats, it’s safe to assume a cigar is a cigar. There’s not even a purpose here, this is just about doing it and making people feel the fear.

It’s funny but not silly, which is an important distinction and something I feel like gets lost. This is a horror story about calling enormous, dangerous beasts from the water. The song even makes clear everyone knows this is horrific, but the language is so casual. The song is a jam, which takes you further away from the horror. The result is something worth considering as you try to imagine who this person is and what they really want from these hydra.