Merge

From the first notes of his 20-some albums, Mountain Goats’ leader John Darnielle’s stylized songwriting has centered so steadfastly on his projectile-strength voice that little else about the music mattered. With the addition of Superchunk drummer Jon Wurster a few albums back, Darnielle finally arrived at capital-I Indie Rock, and All Eternals Deck unsurprisingly continues that shine, with strings ( “Outer Scorpion Squadron” ) and barbershop backing vocals ( “High Hawk Season” ). To detractors, Darnielle’s over-enunciated delivery is pure showtunes. To his considerable following, it’s literary, the better for Tetris-crammed syllables. Though what might be stark on the page can still be too much when sung, Darnielle is one of the few living performers capable of selling such wordy choruses. Opener “Damn These Vampires” could legitimately cross over to a crowd ready to outgrow Twilight series. Darnielle’s ranging mind and spitfire theatricality make him one of America’s most distinctive songwriters.