The Mountain Goats Album: “Ghana”

in my opinion, this here is the best of the ajax/3 beads of sweat compilations. the most consistent by far, it also contains more "instant-classic-type" tracks. there's this one song, "the last day of jimi hendrix's life" which is soooo beautiful and heartbreaking...granted, there's nothing that quite equals "no i can't" or "historiograph" from (is it?) bitter melon farm, but all in all, it's a stronger collection.

This is a CD for someone who is already a Mountain Goats fan. More casual listeners would be better served by getting Sweden, 9 Black Poppies, or Full Force Galesburg. As a compilation of rarities, it is obviously rough and doesn't hang together like a typical Mountain Goats CD. That said, there are some great songs on this CD, from the opening song, "Golden Boy," which are about peanuts, to "Going to Port Washington," "The Anglo-Saxons", and "Noticifer Birmingham." Many of these songs are just Darnielle having a lot of fun. Sometimes, like on "Golden Boy", the results are amazing. Sometimes it only reminds you of how good he can be when he gets more serious. Overall, a good CD and a must-have for Mountain Goats fans.

This album is a gem. I love the mountain goats and can't wait to see this album on vinyl. Meanwhile it's been my only online music purchase in years. Had to have it. Flight 717, going to Denmark is the meaning to life, love.