The Mountain Goats - Transcendental Youth

by Erika Kooda

When I got the chance to chat with author of "The Fault In Our Stars", John Green, the topic of the soundtrack for that movie came up. He mentioned his favorite band, the Mountain Goats. When I was in the KAXE studios a few months later, I saw the newest release of the Mountain Goats - "Transcendental Youth" - and decided to give it a listen. The Mountain Goats remind me of Flogging Molly, without the Irish. This album is kind of different from what I normally listen to, a lot of it is upbeat tunes (which is what drew me to it,) but their meaning is so much deeper than I expected.

Highlighting some of my favorite tracks now, "Cry for Judas" is definitely an example of the upbeat but depressing thing. Some of the lyrics include "Long black night, morning frost / I'm still here, but all is lost". I also like the first song I heard from it, "In Memory of Satan", because it's slower with an emphasis on the drum set, and the lyrics are very visual. Another good song is "Lakeside View Apartments Suite"... I'm not sure why I like it, but it's another song with a good beat. The Mountain Goats' use of a variety of instruments makes the whole album good. It rounds it out and has a great balance, and highlights the singer's voice in each track.