i like sweden more

As long as you stay pre-2006, yes
post-2006 it starts to fall apart a little

yes
I like every album except All Eternals Deck and that shitty unreleased one that leaked.
Try All Hail West Texas
and if you can't stand the lo fi stuff recorded on cassette tapes try We Shall All Be Healed

>>64532686
>post-2006 it starts to fall apart a little
I disagree with this so much

>>64532701
>Try All Hail West Texas

This. Their best work desu

We Shall All Be Healed
All Hail West Texas is close

I don't think its as good but Beat The Champ was surprisingly good and probably the best whole album since We Shall All Be Healed

the earlier stuff is a little too lo-fi for me but it's all pretty enjoyable and there are some gems like Going to Georgia

All Hail West Texas, Zopilote Machine, The Sunset Tree and We Shall All Be Hailed are all better.

I can't help but get slightly annoyed when people say John needs to go back to the "lo fi aesthetic" when he never really used it as an aesthetic in the first place. The reason why he used cassettes to record music in the first place was because he was broke and didn't always have money to afford to recording in a studio. I think the issue with John's music now has nothing to do with the lack of lo fi aesthetic but more to do with the fact that his music is no longer spontaneous. When he was recording on cassettes, he'd usually complete the song in one or two takes and that was that. Now, the songs are obviously rehearsed over and over, and aren't played all the way through in takes. Loses the rawness that the band had. Tallahassee and We Shall All Be Healed didn't have that problem. Those albums were as raw the ones recorded on cassette, they just had better fidelity.

>>64532742
Really?
I figure it's pretty much an undeniable truth that nothing they've done in the past decade can even hold a candle to Tallahassee, or The Sunset Tree, or Zopilote Machine, or We Shall All Be Healed

>>64532948
I've never cared for The Sunset Tree and to me it feels like it signaled the start of his pretentious streak

>>64532948
Beat The Champ and Transcendental Youth have indicated a return to form. While the Goats have never really done a bad album, the records between Sunset Tree and T.Y. are substantially more forgettable than these records, like the early stuff between Zopilote and Coroners (everyone has favorite songs from both of these lulls--the albums themselves are a different story, though) The Golden Age is from Coroner's Gambit to Sunset Tree, I'd say, and we're in a silver age now that's sort of mirroring the zopilote era.

>>64533321
>Transcendental Youth
That's funny because Transcendental Youth is my least favorite album. I honestly think Heretic Pride is miles better than it.

>>64533321
>between Zopilote and Coroners
and as for this, I disagree with as well. I prefer Full Force Galesburg, Nothing For Juice and Sweden loads better than Zopilote.

>>64533529
transcendental youth is a nice album but it's nowhere near my favorite. i'm not talking my personal choices, though, i'm talking as someone who knows a lot of mountain goats fans and has heard a lot of opinions.

(heretic pride is definitely better IMO but most people considered TY the best record since Sunset Tree. Just check spotify for proof, or any forums.)

>>64533585
as for this, again, i'm talking group opinion. Nothing For Juice and Sweden are remarkable albums in my Opinion but people just really really like Zopilote.

All Hail West Texas is one of myfacorite albums of all time