Caves, graves, frost, fangs, darkness, blood and fog introduce the latest album by The Mountain Goats - aptly named Goths - on its spooky, toe-tapping opening track 'Rain in Soho.' The indie folk band, led by singer and songwriter John Darnielle, maintains its tradition of musically representing the underdog with this smart, contemplative ode to the goth subculture.
Contrary to what the album's title might suggest, the band has not altogether abandoned its folk roots. Still familiar are Darnielle's nasal vocals, dark wit, brilliantly complex lyrics, and heartfelt delivery. However, Darnielle ditches his guitar in favor of piano, percussion, and horns, leaving room for greater attention to his hauntingly pensive lyrics. The result is a dark, dreamy, melancholic tone that sets this album apart from the singsongy music of the band's past.
And yet it is the lyrical content of the music, more so than the music itself, that pays tribute to the subculture. Each song is told from the perspective of an unnamed goth narrator and deals with a different facet of goth identity and culture, representing the subgroup's lifestyle and mentality with almost worshipful detail.
So while Goths is decidedly not autobiographical, it might as well be; Darnielle's empathy in dealing with stories that are not his own, stories of people living in the margins, is so deep as to make us believe that he is one of these people, and that we are, too. Suddenly, we identify with the notion of reveling in darkness while simultaneously chasing the light; of fighting to fit in, following our peers to absorb their energy, uncertain if we are equal to it; of burying our softer nature to earn respect, only to feel nostalgic for that past self later in life; of the pride of being among the first in an international movement, and of the fear of becoming irrelevant.
Darken your clothes, sharpen your teeth, and give Goths a listen.
Listen: 'Rain in Soho'

Out now.