The Double Doghouse

morning folks! we’re gonna be checking out the next album in the Mountain Goats Discography today, Full Force Galesburg, from 1997.

New Britain kicks off the record – does an interesting little shift in the guitar chords here. a very odd song – i feel like there’s a cryptic vibe to this, very intentionally. Snow Owl is a very sweet song about, well, a snow owl, or a chance encounter. West Country Dream absolutely jumps the tension way back up. feels v connected to New Britain both lyrically and sonicly. Masher is a much more quietly sad song. i really dig Chinese House Flowers – an intimate moment, frantically grasped and preserved. Ontario feels like it’s got room to grow on me. there’s something here that’s not quite hitting yet but it might. Down Here has a neat swell to it. i like this song. Twin Human Highway Flares is one i really like lyrically, but im not sure im sold on the music that pairs with it. and i REALLY dig Weekend In Western Illinois following it up – both THHF and this song have a kind of wistful romance, wanting it to work but knowing it won’t, but still wanting it. i think they’re a lot more successful at selling it with this WIWI though, personally.  US Mill’s fine. Song for the Julian Calendar’s nice. i don’t think i have any strong feelings one way or another about either of them. Maize Stalk Drinking Blood is kinda sad. i think the vibe, musically, is intended to be closer to wistful but it definitely shoots past that to sad, haha. Evening In Stalingrad… is not mastered super well. not doing the strings any favors here. i wonder if he ever did any sort of remaster on this track, cause i like parts of this a lot lyrically but oof. Minnesota has a slow fall apart to it – probably not my favorite song with this kinda vibe, but its neat. Original Air-Blue Gown feels like it paints such a vivid picture. It’s All Here in Brownsville is a really good closer.

faves – Chinese House Flowers, Weekend In Western Illinois, It’s All Here in Brownsville
dislikes –

this was a weird record, for me. at 16 tracks across forty minutes, this covers a lot of ground and hits some interesting points, but it does tend to blur a bit. i feel like there is some attempt to break things up (like the first four tracks alternate between moods pretty sharply), but i’m not certain that works either from a sequencing perspective or in a providing a strong amount of variety. and i’m not certain if i feel that way because the back half of this record feels like it has a little less than engages me or not. that being said, while i doubt i’m coming back for full record listens, i think some folks that are deep into this era of Mountain Goats will find plenty to fall into here.

Full Force Galesburg – 5/10

next week we’ll be checking out an EP – New Asian Cinema.

the beginning: Zopilote Machine | previous: Nothing For Juice | next: New Asian Cinema

all my reviews for The Mountain Goats