Goths

296. Shelved

Alex Russell Goths , , , , , ,

Peter Hughes shakes up the formula and sings a verse to remember on “Shelved.”

Track: “Shelved”
Album: Goths (2017)

Peter Hughes wrote and sang the final verse on “Shelved.” It feels so very real, with a character wondering how they get from point A to point Z and making their peace with how they’ll do it. It’s one of the stories that might have been, we’re told, and it’s not necessarily a bad one.

I think “Shelved” is the best song on Goths. The switch in vocals from John Darnielle to Peter Hughes doesn’t necessarily mean the character shifts, but I choose to believe it does. The whole song is about what happens when you can’t hack it anymore, or at least what happens when people who make decisions think you can’t. Do you compromise your integrity to keep getting on stage or do you hang it up? It’s a decision characters make all through songs on Goths, but this is the clearest the choice gets.

Much earlier in his career, John Darnielle wrote a song called “Anti-Music Song” that repeatedly slams real musicians. He said later that it doesn’t represent his actual feelings and that makes it a tough song to defend. I don’t know if “Shelved” is a character talking about Nine Inch Nails or John Darnielle talking about them, but either way this character doesn’t see themselves as that kind of artist. Goths is powerful because it goes beyond the decision to sell out and into what that actually means, but I love “Shelved” for freezing on the point you have to decide if it’s worth it. It’s easy to say that it isn’t, but what would it look like if you actually did it?

286. Stench of the Unburied

Alex Russell Goths , , , , , ,

With some of the best wordplay on the album, “Stench of the Unburied” shows us one moment and suggests many others.

Track: “Stench of the Unburied”
Album: Goths (2017)

Most of the modern Mountain Goats albums are “the _______ one.” Beat the Champ is “the wrestling one.” The Life of the World to Come is “the Bible one.” Goths is, well, you get it. That said, I don’t think you need to be all that familiar with the subject matter to appreciate the album, but Goths bucks that trend. I loved it immediately when I heard it, but I’ll admit that I still like general songs like “Shelved” more than the more directly specific songs about actual, real-deal goths. It’s just not my world, so it doesn’t connect with me the way it does with people who lived or live in this space.

“Stench of the Unburied” is the space between those two worlds. It’s hyper-specific, down to the mention of a German electronics company, but it’s also about a feeling of impending doom that requires no experience in the culture the song references. “Incoherent but functional” is John Darnielle at his absolute best, and “say what you will for the effort // you can’t fault the technique” tells us even more about this character than the grime on their clothes does.

When I listen to “Stench of the Unburied” I’m always reminded of “Beat the Devil,” a pretty deep cut that I love a lot. Both songs are about the sudden realization of police breaking up a druggy, tense situation and both songs suggest this was all going to break down way before it became obvious to the narrator. These aren’t the same people, but they’re in the same moment and they’re feeling the same thing. Taken literally it’s grim, but it’s one of the many rungs on the ladder that Darnielle’s characters must climb.