The Mountain Goats - Jenny From Thebes

 

There are certain bands who readily associate with the adjective prolific. Meaning in this context that they put out a lot of product and generally tour extensively to promote that product. Australians King Gizzard & the Lizzard Wizzard come most readily to my mind in this respect. They put out another album yesterday. Fancy that. I'm not quite sure I can face listening to it. I'm sure it's good. But frankly they wear me out those boys. 

Then of course there are Guided by Voices from Dayton Ohio. I do tend to listen to their records when they come dowm the pike, pretty much every six months or so since the year dot. They generally sound pretty similar. Like Guded by Voices records. But I always like those. I always like them. They're really good.

So onto Claremont, California's Mountain Goats. Jenny From Thebes is their twenty second album in almost thirty years and they show no signs of letting up any time soon. Jenny From Thebes sounds every inch a Mountain Goats record straight from the off. Wry, informed slightly geeky but essentially melodic, easy going and wise.In some ways you might struggle to differentiate it from their other records unless you're a signed up obsessive fan.

This band generally choose an underlying theme to the albums they release. This apparently is 'a rock opera about a woman called Jenny.' Oh! The Mountain Goats are sufficiently easy going and comfortable in their skins to allow you, the listener, to superimpose your own interpretation on the songs here. So go ahead and do so.

I won't bother with my own interpretation here. Except to say that the Goats often come across as Seventies AOR radio fare as much as they do midle of the road, middle aged Indie. That's all fine by me and this is another solid and nuanced record to add to their tottering pile.