The enigmatic John Darnielle showed he was a master of kooked-out, but sublime semi-acoustic songwriting with THE MOUNTAIN GOATS' recent "Palmcorder Yajna" single and "We Shall All Be Healed" album: records which are still very dear to the W&H stereo's heart.
Having said that, the album wasn't exactly stuffed to the gills with obvious single material, so Darnielle has done the sensible thing and released "Letter From Belgium" - the LP's other recognisably upbeat pop moment as his new single.
And it's still fine in splendid isolation, proffering a chewy, catchy centre beneath a crunchy outer covering of overheating organ which couches Darnielle's surreal, Dylanesque narrative. Indeed, if you thought "Palmcorder Yajna"s chorus ("and the headstones climbed up the hill") was far out, try "We're all here, chewing our tongues off, waiting for the fever to break" on for size. In a perfect world, he'd be dispensing it on TOTP, but that's another story.
In typically big-hearted Darnielle fashion, we also get a coupla new tracks from a Parisian session from summer 2003, featuring Kimya Dawson (Moldy Peaches) among a clutch of honorary Goat collaborators. "Nova Scotia" is the first and it's a drifting, oddball roadsong featuring 'water drop electric tremble guitar', which actually sounds as pretty and otherworldly as you'd hope for, while "Attention All Pickpockets" (announced as "a new sng which doesn't have a title yet") is an upbeat strummer with distant melodica and just a touch of prime period They Might Be Giants.
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Short, sweet, groovy and seriously loopy, The Mountain Goats continue to present gorgeously skewhiff pop sounds. I still don't get Darnielle's obsession with the low countries, but whatever, "Letter To Belgium" is a (Bene)luxury the discerning won't want to be without.
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