Mountain Goats
Tell Me on a Sunday
1994

John Darnielle, who records under the misleadingly plural Mountain Goats moniker, largely built his reputation on a series of cassettes released by Shrimper in the early ‘90s. Although the songs were usually recorded in one take using a cheap boombox, sound quality was never the issue with Darnielle, who used a forceful voice and incisive songwriting to cut through the layers of tape hiss. Hot Garden Stomp, released by Shrimper in 1994, is the only cassette that I’ve heard, but it is nothing short of astonishing. (Shrimper, why hasn’t this stuff been reissued??)

I listened to “Tell Me on a Sunday” for years before I even realized it was a cover of an Andrew Lloyd Webber song. The fact that I didn’t realize this speaks volumes about Darnielle’s talent. I just assumed this classic piece of songwriting was merely another Mountain Goats song. The guitar playing is sloppy and the sound quality is even worse than usual, but Darnielle’s reflective singing perfectly captures the songs’ complex mix of idealism and sorrow. Hope, it seems, is a tricky thing. On the one hand it reflects the optimism inherent in all of us; on the other hand it probably indicates unhappiness in the present.

Darnielle has recorded many albums since his early cassettes and he now resides at esteemed British label 4AD. In 1995, I decided to start a microcassette label as a conceptual joke. Every release would be a limited edition of one. I emailed a bunch of artists and Darnielle was the only taker. Of course. I should have gone through with it. He probably would have recorded a gem.