Merge (2014)
Shipped with the Superchunk / Mikal Cronin 7" from yesterday was the second entry in the Merge Records singles series. This one is a split 7" between The Mountain Goats and Mount Moriah.
We'll start with The Mountain Goats since I am familiar with them. I can't say I have ever been a big fan, but at the same time I've always appreciated the music that John Darnielle has released. I remember originally I stumbled across them when I went through my tape label phase in the mid 90's and was buying cassettes & records by bands like Diskothi Q and Charlie McAlister. For some reason The Mountain Goats just never hit for me and the song on this 7" is another reason why. It's a strong song, plaintive and honest. It's mostly just voice and piano with some light electric guitar work occasionally in the background. I think it's just a bit too downtrodden to really embrace. I certainly can appreciate plenty of music that's not fast and catchy rock & roll, but I've always found the Mountain Goats a bit too gloomy for me.
Mount Moriah is a band I've had no prior exposure to. Their contribution to this 7" is somewhat soulful, female fronted rock. It's built off of a repetitive, bluesy guitar riff with some nice organ work in the background. it's pretty good, but I'm not wowed to the point that I'll likely pursue anything further by this band.
So 2 singles into the Merge series and it's a good showing so far. I'm eager to see what comes up next on the horizon. I worry that the Superchunk 7" might end up being the highlight for me, but who knows, maybe they'll get the Karl Hendricks Trio on board.
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