The concept of a training montage is well-known and is absolutely exemplified in “Training Montage.”

Track: “Training Montage”
Album: Bleed Out (2022)

Bleed Out is a concept album about action movies. “Training Montage” sets up the idea from the jump with a very clear, very strong start. A training montage is a set of shots where a hero who has realized they must become stronger now becomes stronger. It’s a myth, this isn’t really how that happens and it isn’t really ever this simple. But still it’s a recognizable thing and a very easy idea to understand and sympathize with. There’s even some fun fourth-wall breaking with “it feels like it takes forever // it’s maybe five minutes on screen.” Our hero knows they are a hero, or at least they know they are playing one, literally.

Our hero in “Training Montage” insists “I’m doing this for you,” and as always we are forced to take a harder look at that as a motive. Most of the time in the world of the Mountain Goats someone being altruistic is just in their head. Is that the case here? We can’t know, we don’t have enough to go on. Regardless, this is absolute jam and one of the best Goats songs of the last few years.