The Mountain Goats: Heretic Pride

For the first time since John Darnielle began recording albums with actual studio production, the glossy arrangements on Heretic Pride strike balance with his formidable talents as a songwriter. The production on The Mountain Goats' first couple of albums on 4AD overshadowed Darnielle, while onmuch of Get Lonely, it was an unnecessary and incongruous distraction. Finally, it seems that producers John Vanderslice and Scott Solter have provided only enough support to buoy Darnielle's melodies and accent the emotional peaks and valleys of his lyrics. Heretic Pride is the first album to confirm fans' hopes that, with the resources of 4AD at his disposal, Darnielle could be a juggernaut.