The Mountain Goats - "Ezekiel 7 and The Permanent Efficacy of Grace"

[saetgcaertrre]

the thing about John Darnielle's voice is that its interesting. Lets put it this way; in the end, when you're reading a piece of poetry, you don't care that the poet didn't capitalize anything. When you're reading "The Road", you don't care about the author's grammar. You can hear the emotion of this song shining through in his singing and chord choice. But, of course it doesn't really matter to me what other people have to say, as long as I can continue to listen to it.

[Pinkyleepk22]

so, my cousin booked the mountain goats for a show at UNH a couple years ago and got to go out to lunch with Darnielle. i didnt find out until i asked for one of their albums and he said i could have gone to if he had known i liked them so much. god i love the mountain goats

[spikytesco]

Absolutely beautiful. Brings tears and shivers in equal measure.

[psykokimera]

I wanted to listen to this in the background...but it's demanding my full attention.

[Darthmaud88]

John DAnielle is like Bob Dylan, but I feel he is very more relatable... :)

[NFLegolas]

This man says more than words and lyrics... He's says power and love in his song. DFTBA! (For John Green sent me here)

[KumiKumisan]

I finally got my hands of full performance of this album which includes this video. It is one of the best I've seen. Love love love The Mountain Goats.

[LargeAngrySquids]

@KumiKumisan Ah, I see the pun there. "Love Love Love" Excellent.

[atallperson403]

how could 4 people dislike this?????????

[Crypt1cmyst1c]

darnielle: so badass (in an emotional and beautiful way) that he can let the camera see it's own tracks without it detracting from the video. i'm leaving for basic training for the navy tomorrow, and the thing i'm going to miss the most in the two months is being able to fall asleep listening to these songs.

[davidenolte]

I don't know anything about music theory or chord choices. I judge music on the type and intensity of emotion it brings me. If you have learned to judge music differently, I kind of feel sorry for you.

[legalizeit727]

It is so disappointing that I have gone my whole life without hearing this man

[realhorrorshowistams]

absolutely breathtaking <3

[cumulusdiscord]

Darnielle's voice is an acquired taste. If you don't like it, acquire some taste.

[JDubbs1190]

@thewho30rb He seems to know what he's doing as far as lyrics. I also really don't enjoy his voice either. As far as chord choices, it's kind of hard to explain unless you've taken some music theory courses. Essentially, there really isn't much of a limit to the chords you can make. The true beauty is how the writer manages to approach each chord to make it fit. In this song, I don't think he uses more than five chords. It's really plain in that sense. I feel it might be better suited as a poem.

[thewho30rb]

@JDubbs1190

I won't challenge your opinions, but I don't feel the argument that he uses too few chords is really valid. Much great music has been created with a minimum of chords. There's an old joke that all of rock and roll is three chords, for example. And the blues of the early south was similarly reduced as the musicians really didn't know music theory at all.

Now, if you just simply don't like the way he uses chords, that's an entire other matter and one I can't argue against.

[degracia22]

Cool video. I don't get the lyrics though...what is he saying??

[thewho30rb]

@degracia22 He's narrating the story of a drug-addict who just tortured and killed a man in a hotel room. The character is driving back to Mexico and trying to avoid thinking about what he just did, but cannot keep his thoughts from returning to it.

[degracia22]

@thewho30rb That helps. Thanks!

...Grisly plot!

[skivit]

@degracia22 Words, my friend. He is saying words.

[MegaMozartfan]

I wish I had talent........ so great.

[l33tpwnzord]

Dude's voice is awful.

[soguitar07]

@Limeteaser wow no. He's definitely way underrated

[Limeteaser]

Great lyricist. Can't sing or compose music for his life though. Horrible voice,, and his chord choices are consistently lazy and uninspired. Terribly OVERRATED, and proof that most people have no ears of their own, but just parrot what they've been told about this supposed "great songwriter of our generation." I call bullshit.

He'd make a great writer though, no doubt....

[Glatadur]

@Limeteaser So you'd be one to call out Bob Dylan on being a terrible singer slash composer too, then? Or perhaps Tom Waits? How about any Converge albums? The ultimate goal of this song, of any song, is to convey and make empathetic an audience to the artist's emotion, to make a connection with them. John Darnielle is, in my opinion, a fantastic songwriter because he does just this with many of his works, all of what I've heard anyway.

[Limeteaser]

@Glatadur I hear what you're saying about Dylan. Tom Waits to me has an incredible voice and is a gifted musician in addition to being an extraordinary writer.....You are right in the sense that Darnelle does manage to convey his "message", but the problem is for me at least that doesn't happen until you google the lyrics and see clearly what it is that he's saying. So in my book again, he's more of a writer than anything else....

[rebelgetby]

@Limeteaser I disagree, but to each their own.

[Frozensquirrel]

@Limeteaser Wow. If you don't like the Mountain Goats, fine. You don't have to be an absolute dick about it.

[Limeteaser]

@Frozensquirrel I don't think I was being a dick. I feel strongly about my opinions when they have to do with music especially. I didn't say anything about Darnelle as a person, but I feel the way I feel about it. If you like them then I can understand why. I just don't share your opinion. Peace....

[Frozensquirrel]

@Limeteaser You called out his fans as having "no ears of their own." That they like him just because they are told to. That's a little bit more than just sharing your opinion.

[davidenolte]

@Limeteaser

His voice is nasally, and sounds fucking hilarious at times, but I think you are getting a bit dramatic with an adjective like, "horrible," to describe the guys voice. Lets not get crazy with the subjectivity. I listen to almost exclusively punk rock, but when I heard this particular song I felt a stirring in my stomach that I fucking loved. I don't know much about singing or composition or chord choices. All I know is that I love the way this music makes me feel.

[obermegalutschoar]

rainymood . com

Play this simultaneously.

Thank me later.

[JamesMLeo]

this dvd is incredible. a must have for every mountain goats fan.

I love how his new albums keep exceeding the previous. this man will be making the best music in the world until he dies.

[LobsteyDudley]

I'll never forget the first time I heard this song. I was driving to Virginia, running away from 20 years of abuse. I had to pull off the road and sob.

[feelingeverfine]

I love Rian Johnson

[whitey8436]

Simply amazing. No other way to describe John Darnielle's talent.

[pestilentfrost]

I don't think you understood exactly what I meant.

[JackisaMannequin]

im a 20 year old guy and i just started crying

[AndrewFreschetta]

Amazing.

[pestilentfrost]

Fuck that, he has just the right voice. Your ears are messed up. Just perfect. I kinda hope they never get bigger then morel oral. It would spoil their magic if a bunch of mainstream pop kids play them out

[ouch11]

@pestilentfrost  Just so you know Moral Orel does not equal "mainstream pop kids".

[JustAFocus]

Sounded OK until he attempted to sing. Ouch.

[josejcserra]

that's the spirit: for the words speaks louder. john darnielle doesn't sing at all. yet is a fucking great poet/musician... and his voice fits on his poems. you still have bono and beyonce for your amusement ;-))))

[JustAFocus]

@josejcserra Heh, obviously you have not checked out my Favorites.

[roglovesbroadway]

@JustAFocus

ew

[Shahla666]

John Darnielle is my therapist, the kind formatted into mp3 form and jammed into my iPad.

[edstipe]

Just picked up a copy of the entire film on DVD at an indie music store for Record Store Day. It is brilliant. And I went to Pomona College and spent plenty of time in Lyman Hall, which makes this all the more beautiful to me.

[hyperswivel]

only seen the MGs at festivals, so can't wait to catch them when they come to Oz next month for their own tour.

[davekargol]

J.D. is one of the few artists out there who continually blows me away. I love that dude -- and I've told his as much.

[illyriaperry]

has anyone worked out some good guitar chords/tab for this song? i've been looking anything... thanks!

[TheAbsolutionHowl]

there was a pretty accurate one on ultimate-guitar last i checked.

[thenextpope]

where can I find the rest of these performances?

[Jambeeno]

Fantastic video. The vocals aren't my style but the composition and musicianship were great.

[AKline117]

the contrast between his voice and the piano is really original. great writing. awesome music

[Xenobiarch]

amazing.

[goodhearts]

wow, this is beautiful. jd, you are the best.

[wurwolf1]

God bless John Darnielle and his amazing talent.

[doodly4]

I am going to a concert in nov. My third. I cannot describe how much i want to hug this man.

[jonobomb]

Wonderful. That's all I can say.

[exPOnEntial7]

Amazing. I too would like to ask if 4AD will be releasing the film version of this as a DVD. I'd buy it in an instant!

[TheAbsolutionHowl]

I think (THINK) that they are! On Record Store Day - at least that's what I'm hoping The Life of the World to Come (DVD) is - don't know what else it'd be.

[TheAbsolutionHowl]

This is, for lack of a more justified/fitting word (since what I'm about to say doesn't quite do it justice), stunning.

[ACENSCION]

one word,awesome!

[TheAbsolutionHowl]

Especially when you factor in the guy that directed this also directed/wrote Brick.

[anHAT]

@TheAbsolutionHowl wrong. Ben Folds wrote Brick

[JoBrosLover14]

@anHAT - For clarification; Ben Folds wrote the song brick. Riann Johnson did the massively critically-acclaimed cult-adored independent film "Brick." Both are pretty incredible works of art, one's just a few hours longer - and a movie.

[cdman882]

Jesus.

[spirocashmere]

the world's greatest living songwriter

[wurwolf1]

So true, and we are so lucky to be living in his time.

[maxxkladd]

this guy is a bad A and i hope to right and play this type of music some day and he has inspired me to do so

[dancingforrain2012]

@spirocashmere sorry that one goes to Maynard James Keenan...

[edisawesome94]

@dancingforrain2012 as much as i LOVE tool and anything else maynard touches. John Darnielle in my opinion is better lyricist. Maynard is more emotional and captivating though.

[TheMauriceWhite]

@spirocashmere Well, except for that Bob Dylan guy. But who knows how much longer he'll be with us.

[lainnorcal]

his voice is just so amazing. i can listen to it all day.

<3

[trappermark]

Dearly hoping that more of this film version of the album will be released. What a beautiful capturing of John's soul!

[MHession36]

i don't believe he is much of a hand shaking guy. maybe a hug.

[hopelessdreamr]

John, beautiful piano. so weird not seeing you with a guitar and rocking the fuck out. But this is beautiful, you sound so Good. on a semi unrelated note: i have never seen you so attractive.

[240warheads]

Yeah son get ready for the Colbert bump

[Frozensquirrel]

I'm so ready!

[padme912]

Another wonderful album from the Mountain Goats! Although 'Tallahassee' still is, and probably always will be, my favourite

[Frozensquirrel]

I love the intense feeling of desolation in this video. Empy audience, abandoned guitar...

Inredible.

[JosefK1942]

The guitar is laying there mocking us. For the record, I approve of Darnielle's expanding horizons, what with the piano and all. Marvellous song, if unconventional single.