John Darnielle

I'm listening to the Mountain Goats (the nom de band of John Darnielle) right now, after a somewhat lengthy hiatus. Darnielle is one of my most rewarding musical discoveries of the past decade. Yes, his guitar work is somewhat basic, his production very primitive, and his nasal voice is unquestionably a required taste. Oh, but those lyrics. Darnielle is one of the most riveting and evocative lyricists I've ever come across; his lyrics often approach "literary" territory, and I could easily see him becoming a fiction writer if he was so inclined.

Here's the lyrics of his "You're In Maya", just one song that I heartily recommend.

he hit me right in the face
i drove the falcon uptown
hung out in the library parking lot
the swelling'll never go down
tied a hiram walker in the lining of my father's old corduroy coat
big, big plans hatching in my brain
and a big ugly lump in my throat
i drove up to harvey mudd and i played pinball
'till i didn't want to kill anyone
polished off all my cheap whiskey and stepped out into the california sun

singing bainne na mo is a gamna,
and the juice of the barley for me
singing bainne na mo is a gamna,
and the juice of the barley for me

my thirst carried me up the coast
where it only got sharper god damn it
in a small room that got even smaller a block away from the wilamette
there was nowhere i needed to go
and nowhere i wanted to be
from my window looked out upon nothing
and nothing looked right back at me
i had a couple of things on my mind
a couple of problems to think through
and i drank 'till i couldn't see straight anymore
until there was nothing to drink to

singing bainne na mo is a gamna,
and the juice of the barley for me
singing bainne na mo is a gamna,
and the juice of the barley for me