a priest and the void

That's how the Mountain Goats appeared last night, halloween, at the Knitting Factory.

Mountain Goats were convincing, once again. Very enjoyable, and it honestly seems like JD has a lot to hold over some of these up and coming indie pop bands. Mt Goats just seem so much better live, than, say, the Decemberists. Also, after seeing both Mt Goats and the Hold Steady live recently, that New Yorker article that tied Mr. Goat and Mr. Steady together makes more sense.

Playing immediately before the Mountain Goats was grizzly bear, who sounded different than I thought they would. Eerie and abstract, maybe they were going for the halloween sound, or maybe they have just evolved. I understand that they are re-releasing, or just have re-released, their cd remixed.

The first band to play was The Prayers and Tears of Arthur Digby Sellers. It would seem that the name would be a handicap in the quest to get shows, but perhaps it isn't. A bunch of the songs had a nice sound, but when they tried to change gears it didn't quite work. It was as if they knew where they needed a more upbeat song, but didn't really have the right song to make it convincing. Still, I thought they were fun and probably best in their role as part of an expanded Mountain goats lineup that played Pet Politics with some degree of vigor.