THIS YEAR

Lyrics and commentary from the beloved Mountain Goats singer-songwriter.

Too often, lyrics collections can be little more than keepsakes for fans, easily thrown together and presented without any context or new material. That was never going to be the case for Darnielle—the indie folk musician has always had a strong literary bent, as evidenced by his three well-received novels, Wolf in White Van (2014), Universal Harvester (2017), and Devil House (2022). His new book, which shares its title with one of his most well-known songs, is structured as a book of days, with a song for each one. He writes, “Some are accompanied by detailed explications, and some by autobiographical reflections; some get elliptical glosses and some get extended question marks.” The lyrics are brilliant; Darnielle is one of the best songwriters of his generation, and his words are achingly beautiful, sometimes angry and triumphant: Consider “Hast Thou Considered the Tetrapod,” from his landmark 2005 album The Sunset Tree, in which he sings, “held under these smothering waves / by your strong and thick-veined hand / but one of these days / I am going to wriggle up on dry land.” The accompanying text for the songs is decidedly not phoned in—he tells the story of the “Alpha Couple,” the troubled pair of partners whose deteriorating relationship he chronicles in songs that include the acidic “No Children” (“you are coming down with me / hand in unlovable hand / and I hope you die / I hope we both die”). Along the way, he cites literary influences, including Aeschylus, C.S. Lewis, and Maggie Smith. The book offers a look into Darnielle’s inspiration and songwriting process, and the result is even more impressive than one might expect.

An inspired project that’s far better than a typical lyrics collection.