The Mountain Goats - Oceanographer's Choice

[blithium]

(cont)

International Small Arms Traffic Blues: Tension is building

Have to Explode: Tensions building even more.

Old College Try: Last attempt to restore a relationship that's already failed

Oceanographer's Choice: Man can't take it anymore and kills the wife.

Alpha Rats Nest: Man either in prison or insane asylum.

[blithium]

Tallahassee: Man and wife move into new house

First Few Desperate Hours: They get settled in

Southwood Plantation Road: They start getting happy with what they have

Game Shows Touch our Lives: They share a moment.

The House that Dripped Blood: They realize they have nothing physical.

Idylls of the King: They start becoming distant.

No Children: The husband falls into drink.

See America Right: Everything really starts falling apart.

Peacocks: Calm before the storm.

(cont)

[hybriddefect]

I feel like this right now.

[Zapak1]

Fuck you Adam Lambert ad, you're not what anyone came here for.

[beatricethebaticeer]

Any ideas on the meaning of the title? I think that it is a continuation of all the uses of water and the ocean in the album. In Idylls of the King, "These roads leading out to the sea." (Interesting, as the roads are leading from their house, which is symbolic of their relationship.) In Old College Try, "From the housetops to the gutters/from the ocean to the shore." (Again with the house.) In No Children, "I am drowning/ there is no sign of land." [Okay, running out of characters,cont. next]

[beatricethebaticeer]

@beatricethebaticeer In this song, perhaps Darnielle is saying that the Alpha Couple have already drowned. And their "bodies bloat" (The House That Dripped Blood). All the water symbolizes codependency. So the title, Oceanographer's Choice is maybe saying that the Alpha Couple have become of the ocean, and are being chosen to be studied by the oceanographers because they are so fascinating. [Cut again]

[beatricethebaticeer]

@beatricethebaticeer (Or Darnielle is the oceanographer. Or the listener, but that seems like a level of meta that wouldn't be in the Mountain Goats' work.) But maybe the couple themselves are the oceanographers, they see themselves clearly enough to know how dysfunctional they are, and this is their choice. They are complicit in their own destruction. Am I stretching too far? Any other theories?

[romannosejob]

I got what I deserve.

[psykokimera]

First line = EPIC WIN!!!

[TwiPrime]

"Everybody is gonna need--a little backup--in case the scene gets nasty!"

[xNjaMx]

Best part of my exchange to the USA: Finding a store that sold the new Mountain Goats CD. Still feels better than buying it off Amazon.

[KevinTheKennedy]

my thoughts exactly, when my veins filled with dilaudid

[piekipu1]

intelligent

[scarlet000begonia]

The Mountain Goats are simply amazing.

[MontezumaIII]

I like this song, but it's not one of my favorites, just because it's so dark and intense. I really like the calm, acoustic songs(e.g. the ones on Full Force Galesburg) without so much electric guitar and drums.

It doesn't matter, though, because everything John Darnielle does is brilliant. DFTBA!

[EmpLaun]

when I went to see the Friday the 13th remake last year (I think.) I played this song in my head whole time. Made the movie a helluva lot better.

[Crypt1cmyst1c]

@EmpLaun auto-win. hell it can make even a spielberg movie "good"

[LilTortillaBoy420]

@EmpLaun LoL

[ibrumaire]

1 person listened while wearing their Superman costume.

[RdSoxFan618]

171 people are skilled with broadswords.

[Iliveinabox666]

Calm song. Suddenly:

RUNS THROUGH HIM WITH A BROADSWORD

[merrja666]

What the hell does this song mean? Personally, I think that it's about domestic abuse, but my friend disagrees.

[doodly4]

@merrja666 "Oceanographer's Choice" takes place at the end of Tallahassee. The Alpha Female has left and there is a brief moment in which Alpha Male thinks that life without her is a viable possibility. . . and then she comes back and all those selfish emotions come flooding back. They are having make-up sex but it is violent, like a battle for control. The song shows how desperately hopeless they are to be with the other.

[deke2323]

@doodly4 that's a proper read of a true intellectual's mind, and i'm drunk,

[AnonymLonen]

@merrja666 I believe John Darnielle said the whole album is about a fictional, dysfunctional couple, basically.

[jb48999]

they should allow us to see who this dislike came from.

run through him with a broadsword !

[Hakudohshi]

No. 13 Baby by The Pixies..

Evil Son by The Willowz..

Oceanographer's Choice by The Mountain Goats...

Three songs that have the most beautiful outro's of any I've heard.

[chazfourlife]

When I find the person who disliked this video I will run through them with a broadsword.

[lezvarthok]

gOOsebumps.

[chazfourlife]

SO AWESOME I think that there is a parallel universe where everyobe is John Darnielle.Must get to this universe

[lorche100]

nice song

[incompletedream]

NO ONE has disliked this video :) thats how awesome this song is

[KeegsterProductions]

@incompletedream I think you jinxed it...

[incompletedream]

First time Ive heard this song or this band. And I love it. ♥ awesome song

eventually this band will be talked about @blogspot. thedisoriented

[h0pha]

Thank you for putting this great Mountain Goats song up here on youtube. One Goats song I'd like to see on youtube is "Song for Dana Plato" from the Bitter Melon Farm album. That is one of my absolute favorite songs. Would that be something you have access to?

[sweetsugar1622]

kinda sounds like Hank Green.

[BorgEntertainment]

Musically, this is one of their best. Lyrically, they're all great.

[stupidyoopers]

This might be my favorite song on the album.

[KolmeK]

Wow... Just wow.... This gave me goosbumps. Pure muscial genious.

[shrookins]

so. . . incredibly. . . badass. . .must fight urge to just listen to this over and over and get back to work! . . . arrrgh! just so great and cool.

[starguts]

"Well, guy in a skeleton costume comes up to the guy in the superman suit runs through him with a broadsword"

"Everybody's going to need a witness, everybody's going to need a little backup, in case the scene gets nasty"

Just brilliant.

[godofatk99]

this song is sweet

[quibily]

My god, I love The Mountain Goats.

[smokeyvv]

Good tune!

[Darthpedro135]

Nice

[ElleAFant]

i first heard this song on a local college radio station when i was in high school and i've been graduated for over 4 years and it's STILL STUCK IN MY HEAD! i have to listen to it every six months or so to get my fix. this song is audible crack! oceanographer's choice is amazing too.

[zombie101010]

yeah! this song was fuckin BURNED into my head a couple months ago when I bootlegged this CD

[silvergremlin88]

your a horrible person, not really but buy the cd

[zombie101010]

alright, let me just hop into a stargate that'll take me to a universe filled with stores that sell Mountain Goat cds

[silvergremlin88]

hahaha sure..sounds good to me

[zombie101010]

TIGHT

[silvergremlin88]

SG-1 or SG atlantis?

[AliceHatt]

@zombie101010 Stargate Reference and a love of The Mountain Goats? Well, you sir, are awesome.

[AliceHatt]

@zombie101010 YES.

[morganearmstrong]

@zombie101010 if you're hopping into a stargate anyway wouldn't you rather just go to a universe filled with free mountain goat cds?

[Hakudohshi]

@morganearmstrong Because, then The Mountain Goats would be poor! :<

[spoogeworthy]

Talk about a few years ago sir :)

[zombie101010]

sir ehh? well thank ya kindly

[cornjob72]

When I listen to this with headphones it sounds like someone is stomping on the ceiling.

[mgepford]

I love this song

[PAK1986]

wtf is this album cover supposed to be, ive been trying to figure it out for months

[deke2323]

Its like a tree with a red light on it and spoons hangin by yarn from a branch. . . . I love this song so much. Jus the way he says "What will I do when I don't have you..." :)

[PAK1986]

oo i kinda c it now thanks! :D

[oats13337]

The first few lines are awesome. One of my favorite TMG songs

[ArchangelXAmy]

Best Mountain Goats song ever. :|

[epsilina]

This is one of my favorite songs by the Mountain Goats, so thanks for posting it.