Live Review: The Mountain Goats, Oh Pep!

Local folksters Oh Pep! offer a delightful entree to tonight's proceedings. Pepita Emmerichs' unusual mandolin and violin arrangements add immeasurably to Olivia Hally's warm, earthy vocals on songs like Bushwick and Tea, Milk & Honey. The duo handily maintain the audience's attention with interesting vocal phrasing and lyrics commendably free from folky cliche.

The Mountain Goats enter the stage to Deep Purple's Smoke On The Water, looking like a group of teachers performing at a school talent show - particularly under The Toff's mirror ball. They sure don't sound like one, though, as they tear into In The Craters On The Moon, which includes a searing saxophone solo. This is a band completely unconcerned with being cool. Next up is Harlem Roulette, which includes a line that might just be the band's motto: "Even awful dreams are good dreams."

Frontman John Darnielle sings with incredible urgency. His entire body shakes as words and songs are exorcised from deep within him. His facial expressions oscillate wildly from solemnity to unbridled joy. None of it feels like artifice or cheap trickery designed to get a reaction. He's just a guy who feels things very deeply and expresses them like no other.

But The Mountain Goats, particularly their most recent songs such as Animal Mask and Heel Turn 2, have evolved well past being mere vehicles for Darnielle's lyrics. There is a greater emphasis on rhythm, with Jon Wurster's dynamic drumming really on display tonight. In combination with Peter Hughes' assertive bass, The Mountain Goats sound almost sexy (which is an odd thing to feel about this group).

Midway through the set, the rest of the band leaves the stage as Darnielle treats the audience to solo renditions of some deep cuts, including sombre piano ballad Deuteronomy 2:10 and the hilarious Going To Chino, during which Darnielle makes frequent interjections about certain lyrics and their meaning. This kind of intra-song narration would be irritating from most performers but, in Darnielle's case, it only adds to the intense personal connection between the song's author and audience. Broom People is rapturously received. Up The Wolves evolves into a spirited singalong. At this point the set has developed momentum - upward motion.

In addition to being a great writer of songs and novels, Darnielle certainly knows how to structure a setlist for maximum emotional impact. The only place to go from here is into This Year, and into it they go. And it's glorious. It is tremendously invigorating to witness a room full of people shouting this song's iconic chorus lyrics: "I am going to make it/Through this year/If it kills me."

Darnielle brings us all back down to earth with Southwestern Territory, before launching into the livid waltz of No Children. Darnielle wades into the crowd, sharing his microphone as we all bellow, "I hope we both die!" in cathartic solidarity. Wow. What a way to go out.