John Darnielle’s 14th studio album presents the consistently enjoyable, uplifting vibes and powerful acoustics The Mountain Goats has fostered in the band’s identity. As usual, Darnielle’s uniquely pleasant lyrics ring clearly in a poetic conversational style accompanied by equally sharp instrumentals like piano, acoustic guitars and horn sections. He tells short stories of trials, travels and life-changing experiences as these instruments set the scene for these narratives. In addition to Darnielle’s descriptive imagery in his lyrics, pianos and keyboards convey the tones of these experiences ranging from disturbingly difficult to hope-inspired. The band switches things up at times with heavy synthesizers and other electric sounds, but all in all, this is a typical The Mountain Goats album.

Grade: B+