The Goats finally seem to be getting the recognition they deserve, if the number of interviews about this album with lead Goat, John Darnielle, is anything to go by. The last two albums, The Sunset Tree and Get Lonely, were dominated by themes – Darnielle’s relationship with his stepfather and the loss of a lover respectively – but Heretic Pride is theme-free. This has loosened things up somewhat and the songs are more varied in tone, pace and content, ranging from out-and-out rockers to the wistful.
There’s a wider range of instrumentation too, either because they’ve got more resources these days or they’re more comfortable in studio, though Darnielle apparently remains of the “less is more” school. You still get his image-laden lyrics though, particularly in Tianchi Lake, his tenderness in San Bernardino, and who else would write a song full of savage delight about a heretic being killed for his beliefs, thereby living his life to the full? Not everyone’s cup of tea but, if you like The Goats, they’re getting better.
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