Indie rock veterans The Mountain Goats are releasing their 22nd studio album, Jenny from Thebes. Band founder and frontman John Darnielle has become legendary for his observational, literate lyrics. The band’s sonic stylings work within Folk, Indie rock and lo-fi genres. The Mountain Goats have attracted numerous fans to their offerings for over thirty-two years with a unique blend of quirk and insight.
Jenny from Thebes was recorded at The Church Studios in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with Grammy award-winning producer/engineer Trina Shoemaker. The Mountain Goats on this effort comprise Darnielle, multi-instrumentalist Matt Douglas on horns, keyboards and strings, arranging duties, Jon Wurster on drums, and Peter Hughes on bass and backing vocals. Additionally, the band enlisted Alice Bognanno on guitar and backing vocals, Mat Nathanson on backing vocals and Kathy Valentine of the Go Go’s on backing vocals.
Darnielle has described the album as a rock opera about a woman who buys a Kawasaki motorcycle to ride as far away as possible from the town she has been carrying on her shoulders for too long. That woman, Jenny, will be familiar to fans of The Mountain Goats as she originally appeared on their albums: 2001’s Jam Eaters Blues, 2002’s All Hail West Texas, and 2012’s Transcendental Youth. It quickly becomes evident that with Jenny from Thebes, Darnielle is writing a sequel to some of the band’s most beloved albums.
Darnielle’s themes on this outing are safety, shelter and the individual’s societal responsibility. He ruminates on who provides care when no one else will and personifies this with Jenny and her exhaustion at taking on the burden when she wants to run away.
Jenny from Thebes begins with “Clean Slate”, a bouncy 80’s pop sonic vibe that belies the dark lyrics. Jenny is running a safe house as she has for years and is exhausted by the effort; her noble gesture is doing her in. She wants to run, signified by the chilling advice in the chorus: “Remember at your peril, forget the ones you can.” The track is best described as displaying jazz hands as you race down the highway towards hell. Again and again, Darnielle captures the desperation of Jenny trying to do the right thing but needing to escape.
“Only One Way” examines the ultimate truth that no one can escape the problems of this world, and there is only one way out: death. This brilliant track utilizes quiet/loud sonics that builds while being sung so brightly you might not notice the lyrics are damning our inevitable ageing and passing away. Of note throughout the entire album are the fantastic horns that clue the listener into the emotions and themes of the outing, working as a narrative accent. “Fresh Tatto” reinforces the themes of “Only One Way”, likening getting a tattoo to our eventual fading away. The song starts with a simple piano and explodes around the three-minute mark with full-band sonics. It is an impressive track.
“Murder at the 18th Street Garage” is my favourite track, short and sweet with winning punk ethos. This song cranks and is a do not miss. “From the Nebraska Plant” captures all the ennui of the rust belt, and the slowed-down tempo catches the yearning to return to the halcyon days of youth and the alluring freedom offered by a motorcycle escape.
“Water Tower” could be the scary pasta accompaniment of a True Crime podcast with a serial killer on the loose and a body in the town water tank bound at the wrists and sinking. A rot at the town’s core is palpable and conveyed with the Texarkana vibe of the song.
The crowning track of the release is “Jenny III”, where our recurring character is described in the lyric “Jenny was a warrior, Jenny was a thief, Jenny hit the corner clinic begging for relief.” The track is compelling as Jenny attempts to escape the drudgery of the life that is weighing her down. You can not help but cheer her on. “Going to Dallas” mixes her urgency with whimsy as she considers escaping anywhere, near Dallas or far-flung Montana. The final track, “Great Pirates”, catches us hoping Jenny has gained her freedom and is sailing the seas, as she becomes a “Great Pirate testing the waves.” This jazz-laden ending closes an engaging album.
Jenny from Thebes is a modern rock opera full of heartfelt emotion, Greek tragedy, yearning and self-realization. In many respects, it could be classified as a missionary conversion album for those listeners who have not yet come under the spell of John Darnielle and Co’s impressive outings. The album is a quick listen at less than 40 minutes, and it is recommended to listen to it in its entirety.
With Jenny from Thebes, Darnielle is again presented as a sage able to examine life’s greatest concerns and fears with wisdom and insight. The album leaves the listener wondering if we will get another update on Jenny and how her escape turned out. Once again, The Mountain Goats offers a thought-provoking album that remains with the listener long after the final notes have played.
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