JOE BREENreviews the roots music of the week

The Mountain Goats

The Life of the World to Come

4AD ****

The individualistic John Darnielle is The Mountain Goats, and has been since the early 1990s. In that time the act has gone through various stages, driven by Darnielle’s compelling folk-rock songs encrusted with fascinating lyrics of a life lived and lives observed and imagined. There are all kinds of subplots and sub-themes to Darnielle’s album, but the fact that 11 of the 12 tracks are named after Biblical verses is certainly food for thought. The central theme seems to be the Grim Reaper, with the afterlife something of an afterthought, so to speak. Typically it is strange and tender, evocative and bizarre, deeply personal and cooly detached. And oddly compelling – the more you listen, the more you hear as Darnielle’s almost otherworldly voice journeys through life’s and death’s rich pageant. www.mountain-goats.com

Download tracks:Matthew 25.21, Genesis 3.23, Psalms 40:2

Ben Reel

Time to get Real

B.Reel Records ***

The opening track in Ben Reel's 20th anniversary album is a cracker. Rainy Nightsnails down the pang of loneliness that emigrants feel when they are far from home and someone says something that just triggers regret. The easy, soulful melody and performance underlines the impact, with Reel's singing striking just the right note. It is the high point of the album. Though Feel Alive, the title track and the gospel of Old Bog Roadcome close, too many of these songs are worthy, well-meaning and just a little predictable. That said, the Armagh singer-songwriter comes across as a honest man determined to use his love of music to best effect, and he is lucky in having a band, particularly guitarist Mick McCarney, full of expession and no little skill. www.benreel.com

Download tracks: Rainy Nights, Time to Get Real