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Zero 7
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
The Sunset Tree
EMAILPRINTby The Mountain Goats

Universal acclaim
Based on 28 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 21 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: 4AD
Release Date: 26 April 2005
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Indie, Rock
Summary
John Darnielle recorded this 13-track Mountain Goats disc with the help of musicians John Vanderslice, Peter Hughes, Franklin Bruno and Scott Solter.
Also By This Artist: Get Lonely Heretic Pride The Life Of The World To Come We Shall All Be Healed
Also On The Web: Official Artist Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Stylus Magazine
The Sunset Tree is one of the most volatile, affecting and coherent records he’s made yet.
Read Full Review >The New York Times
It may be Mr. Darnielle's best album so far (which is saying a lot) and his most straightforwardly autobiographical (which isn't saying much). [25 Apr 2005]
Neumu.net
Ultimately the album is bolstered by the risks he takes, and though it trips a bit and never quite achieves the direct vision of previous efforts, it's rewarding nonetheless, for the perspective it brings to Darnielle's body of work.
Read Full Review >All Music Guide
It's a gloves-off catharsis occurring in real time for the gifted singer/songwriter, and it leaves a mark on the listener as well.
Read Full Review >Delusions of Adequacy
While the material is at times uncomfortable and discomfiting, one can't help but be fascinated - and a little touched.
Read Full Review >cokemachineglow
That’s the first thing that’s striking about The Sunset Tree: the arrangements on this record are spectacular.
Read Full Review >Filter
Darnielle has not lost his talent for storytelling. [#15, p.99]
Spin
Darnielle's written some of the toughest and most open-souled music of his lo-fi outlet's oft-brilliant history. [May 2005, p.110]
Dusted Magazine
Clearly, John Darnielle has a life story that’s inspiring as more than just the tale of an unconventional indie rock hero. Now that he’s making his best music, I think we can all be glad that he’s finally telling it.
Read Full Review >Blender
These surging, wordy confessionals are sometimes redemptive but never maudlin. [May 2005, p.121]
PopMatters
The emotions on The Sunset Tree are raw. It's a testament to Darnielle's abilities that he reins in those emotions enough to create such a powerful and coherent exhibit of his internal life.
Read Full Review >Splendid
The Sunset Tree feels like Darnielle's most personal record to date, and it's certainly his most immediately accessible, musically speaking.
Read Full Review >Amazon.com
You might think that an album about child abuse would be hard to listen to, but as always, hearing Darnielle's lyrics is an honor and a privilege.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club)
The cleaned-up sound and aggressive posturing make The Mountain Goats sound like a youthful Bruce Springsteen backed by The Waterboys.
Read Full Review >Uncut
The further [Darnielle] drifts from his lo-fi allegiances and into lush studio environments, the more autobiography intersects with the dramatic storytelling which has always been the Californian's forte. [Jun 2005, p.98]
Junkmedia
The Sunset Tree may just be The Mountain Goats's most poetic, coherent work.
Read Full Review >No Ripcord
There’s so much here to enjoy, we can tolerate the occasional lyrical overreach.
Read Full Review >Tiny Mix Tapes
This is a record that only Darnielle could pull off: in the hands of a less skilled writer and vocalist, it would fall flat or grate the nerves as so much hyperemotional posturing.
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly
He sometimes wastes these tales on coy indie-folk, but when he cuts to the bone... the results can be extraordinary. [13 May 2005, p.89]
Lost At Sea
The Mountain Goats find a way to bounce back from the psychiatrist-worthy lyrics with strong, vibrant but subtly crafted compositions.
Read Full Review >Pitchfork
Oddly, at times it seems like Darnielle works more movingly and astutely when he's inventing his tales rather than partaking in personal anecdote and/or trauma.
Read Full Review >Mojo
Not exactly a comfortable listen, but Darnielle's candour can't be faulted. [Jun 2005, p.109]
Rolling Stone
Digs into childhood trauma with all the acoustic verve and wit you expect from this guy.
Read Full Review >Under The Radar
An album where even the lesser songs contain at least one exceptional moment. [#10, p.116]
Magnet
The Sunset Tree can be bleak, but it's also redemptive. [#68, p.104]
New Musical Express
If you've ever wondered what growing up in middle-class 1970s America would have been like, these deeply personal revelations are for you. [30 Apr 2005, p.64]
What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 9.4 (out of 10) based on 21 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Tony R gave it a10:
Simply goodness all around from start to finish, to talk about just one song and leave others out would be bad on my part its one of my all time favorite albums and I can only wish more people would listen to it.
Christian W gave it a9:
One of the most emotionally charged albums ive ever heard. Almost every song bar one or two towards the middle makes a real impression and some of the lyrics left me blown away when I first heard them. It also starts and ends very strongly, being bookended by three amazing songs each side. Pale Green Things almost has me weeping every time I hear it, even though I've no idea who the racehorse lover with the dodgy heart is. Song for Dennis Brown has some of the best lyrics Ive heard anywhere and Dance Music has a beautiful melody and piano riff.
Scott H gave it a10:
A record written to extricate Darnielles pain over his abusive stepfather. Remorse for his silenced mother, and how not even death can free you from everything.
Felix A gave it a10:
Brilliant. Simply Brilliant. One of the most touching albums I have ever listened to.
sara m gave it a10:
No other score possible
C Thomas gave it a9:
I don't know why this didn't end up on the "best of '05" lists I've seen.
[Anonymous] gave it a9:
This is an unbelievably intimate piece of art. Genius at work...!
