Mountain Goats

From the beautifully twisted mind of singer/guitarist John Darnielle comes yet another dark masterpiece for the Mountain Goats, the recently released LP Heretic Pride (4AD). Complete with a mini graphic novel for liner notes, the thirteen-track ode to serial killers, pulp fiction, cults, horror movies, and more typical Mountain Goats fare, heartbreak, manages to be eerie and wonderfully endearing at the same time. Darnielle, who grew a cult following with his series of scratchy, lo-fi home demos in the 90s, has evolved throughout the years, adding band members, increasing the production on his records, and Heretic Pride sees him experimenting with lush orchestrations. The tracks feature Peter Hughes on bass, John Wurster on drums, Franklin Bruno on piano, and Erik Friedlander on cello as well as the vocal and guitar stylings of St. Vincent's Annie Clark and the vocal harmonies of Rachel Ware Zooi and Sarah Arsianian of the Bright Mountain Choir.