Readers of these tepid pages who pay attention to my musical proclivities and total, atonal, lack of taste will have take prior note of my total obsession and drooling praise for John Darnielle and his band The Mountain Goats. His CD "Heretic Pride" was my runner up best of the year for 2008. If I have not mentioned it before (but I think I have) I am a loather of "Christian Rock". The songs tend to a monotonous sameness that does not resonate in my secular world or frankly with my questioning and often confused "faith". I do love it though when pop stars explore some of their own faith issues for us. Darnielle carries an excellent recall of scripture with a secular Christian questioning and sometimes more then a little disdain for people who are so confident of their faith.
In this context I was REALLY excited to hear that the Mountain Goats new release would feature 12 songs with Bible verses as titles. Darnielle who has explored Christian themes before is cryptic about the CD's motivation and in Darnielle’s own words, “twelve hard lessons the Bible taught me, kind of.” Not that he’s suddenly had a conversion experience (Darnielle is still as religious as he ever was; that is, somewhat so, but unconventionally). The CD took a while to grab me but has now become one of those obsessive things that I listen to over and over agin and each time I pick another line that haunts or intrigues or just makes me think. Since it is in the context of faith and Bible verses it seems doubly deep and grave to me... which is really just silly but the fact is.... and you heard it here first.... this is some good shit. I have printed out each verse below not for anyone's benefit but my own as this might make for a somewhat amusing (to me) Bible study some time
Songs:
1 Samuel 15:23: King James Bible
For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.
Psalms 40:2 He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet on a rock, and established my goings.
Genesis 3:23 23Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
Philippians 3:20-21 20For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
21Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.
Hebrews 11:40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
Genesis 30:3 And she said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her.
Romans 10:99That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
1 John 4:16 6And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.
Matthew 25:21 21"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'
Deuteronomy 2:10 The Emims dwelled therein in times past, a people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims;
Isaiah 45:23 23 By myself I have sworn,
my mouth has uttered in all integrity
a word that will not be revoked:
Before me every knee will bow;
by me every tongue will swear.
Ezekiel 7 And The Permanent Efficacy Of Grace (I picked the last verse...very heavy, all of Chapter 7)27 The king will mourn, the prince will be clothed with despair, and the hands of the people of the land will tremble. I will deal with them according to their conduct, and by their own standards I will judge them. Then they will know that I am the LORD."
This is an eclectic list of scripture borrowing heavily from old and new testament. Right now 1 John 4:16 is my favorite. The song is just beautiful, and mournful and so sad. The chorus comes through with this and I do not know what it has to do with that great Bible verse but:
"and someone leads the beast in on it's chain... and I know your thinking of me cause it's just about to rain".
Who thinks of words like that. Some of the themes become kind of monotonous. Getting your perfect body back..."I won't give up, someday I'll be free. I am not this body, that imprisons me". On the iTunes version he also includes Enoch 18:14 which I was not familiar with but was evidently pat of the dead sea scrolls. Apparently enoch was taken to heaven by God and did not see death. At least that what it says in Genesis. I did not know that.
Indeed.
Psalm 40:2 is the most anguished and reminds me most of last years "Heretic Pride". Be certain that the imagery he provides in the songs is troubling in most cases from this songs dark road trip through Missouri and Kansas to another trip across the country to sit at the deathbed of a cancer patient. Whether a lover or friend we don't know but... dark. And contemplative. And sometimes for those of us who believe but view what our Christian leaders tell us with a somewhat jaundiced eye... thinking is good... and the music is good with excellent percussion by John Wurster and occasionally my favorite mournful cello by Erik Vierlander.
Go give this one a listen. Listen 3 times.
Here are some pics from their Chicago show at the Metro from our intrepid reporter Jon Becker:
http://mangosquash.tumblr.com/post/234843531/the-mountain-goats-with-opener-final-fantasy-live
8 1/2 Slingers on the 10 scale.
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