The Mountain Goats – Beat The Champ

Fifteen albums in, and The Mountain Goats have lost none of their hoof. The homemade cassette-in-a-record-shop ethos may be behind him, but John Darnielle still possesses a unique flair for spinning a twinkly yarn or two. Self-assured indeed is the songwriter who can centre an entire album around the subject of Mexican wrestling and not seem trivial. 

There’s obvious sardonic humour in Darnielle’s lyrics – “I will personally stab you in the eye with a foreign object," he earnestly chirps in one song – but this is no novelty record. Witness the sarcastic chuckle that comes with “you’ve found my breaking point... congratulations” in Heel Turn 2 and you realise there is a resonance to these songs beyond the wrestling ring. It’s indie of a ‘90s flavour, certainly; echoes of Pavement and Elliott Smith abound. But Beat The Champ’s breadth and scope of songwriting give plenty to chew on, after repeated listens. A treat. [John Nugent]