Looking like the everyman John Cusack would play in the movie, John Darnielle still has a teenager's reedy tenor, in contrast to his grown-man's, slow-footed cadence when apologizing for having a lyric cheat sheet for a new song. more ›

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The show itself was actually something of a let-down; people fall in love with The Mountain Goats (which is 90% Darnielle, plus collaborators) for their ability to capture smallness on their albums: small stories, small feelings, small sounds. Darnielle manages to create an intimacy on records like Tallahassee that didn't transfer well at the show Friday night. more ›

* Sample tracks on MySpace. more ›

Oh Walkmen. Sure, with the release of your latest album, you're not quite the critical darlings you once were, but you certainly don't deserve to play to a venue that's only a third full. When Seattlest got to the Showbox on Friday night, we were shocked (shocked!) at how empty it was: one of the bars was closed, the other bar area was far from packed, and the floor held groups of people scattered about in pockets here and there. Yes, everyone's precious Mountain Goats were playing across town, but surely the Venn diagram isn't that overlapped, right? more ›

If you are more into reverb (and we think that you are), go see Built to Spill at the Showbox tonight. They are one of our all time favorite bands (Built to Spill fun fact: They often play a really long version of Neil Young's 'Cortez the Killer' which is a great opportunity to grab a beer or two. If you are not drinking, it is an excellent opportunity to grab a Shirley Temple or perhaps a Diet Coke). more ›