Home | Songs By Year | Songs from 2008


Lovecraft in Brooklyn

Buy Lovecraft in Brooklyn now from Amazon

First, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the song. And once you've experienced the song, tell everyone what you thought about it.

Wikipedia article


{{Infobox song

| name = Lovecraft in Brooklyn

| cover =

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = The Mountain Goats

| album = Heretic Pride

| released = February 18, 2008
February 19, 2008

| format =

| recorded =

| studio =

| venue =

| genre = Folk rock, Indie rock

| length =

| label = 4AD

| writer = John Darnielle

| producer = Scott Solter, John Vanderslice

| prev_title = In the Craters on the Moon

| prev_year = 2008

| next_title = Tianchi Lake

| next_year = 2008

| misc =

}}

"'Lovecraft in Brooklyn'" is the eighth track on the Mountain Goats' 'Heretic Pride' album released in 2008 on 4AD.

The title refers to the fears of horror fiction writer H. P. Lovecraft during his residence in Red Hook, Brooklyn.

Lyrics



contributed pre-release promotional material for the album accompanied with John Darnielle's notes.

In an interview with 'io9''s Charlie Jane Anders concerning the song's imagery, songwriter John Darnielle stated "Lovecraft in Brooklyn" "is not really about Lovecraft it's sung by a guy who's identifying with Lovecraft at his most xenophobic and terrified. Why does that appeal? I think I'm just attracted to hermits in general to people who don't feel like they're part of the world, who have a hard time feeling like they're really present in the same space as everybody else."

Reception



'Allmusic's Steve Leggett called "Lovecraft in Brooklyn" "odd (and) lysergic" and noted that it "feels like the screenplay for a campy B movie monster flick given musical form, only, of course, it might be something else entirely." 'Crawdaddy!'s Jessica Gentile called "Lovecraft in Brooklyn" "muscular, electric, and imbued with paranoia" and "by far, the heaviest song the bands ever recorded." 'Pitchfork Media's Zach Baron called "Lovecraft in Brooklyn" (alongside songs "Sax Rohmer #1" and "In the Craters of the Moon") a "seething throwback [...] taut, propulsive, paranoid, furious."

'Slant Magazine's Dave Hughes found it to be "surprisingly assertive" and "awesomely angular." 'Sputnikmusic's Ryan Flatley noted its "staccato, yet catchy bass-line and Kayo Dot-esque violins." 'Tiny Mix Tapes's Judy Berman praised Darnielle's "talent for subtly coloring his lyrics with the voice of the frightened narrator", and in particular emphasized the line "woke up afraid of my own shadow / Like, 'genuinely' afraid." 'Cokemachineglow', however, found this same line to be "utterly, ridiculously superfluous" and "a bad line" that "rings false".[http://cokemachineglow.com/records/mountaingoats-hereticpride-2008/ The Mountain Goats: Heretic Pride], reviewed by Eric Sams, at 'Cokemachineglow'; published March 3, 2008; retrieved October 24, 2021

Live versions



For 2013's SF Sketchfest, John Darnielle performed "Lovecraft in Brooklyn" along with "The Best Ever Death Metal Band" for the podcast 'Judge John Hodgman'.

Alternate versions



American hip hop music artist Aesop Rock remixed the song including additional lyrics. Musician John Darnielle called it a "completely great from-the-ground-up remix."

'The Morning News''s Erik Bryan called the collaboration "strange. Darnielles lyrics and vocals make it not the chillest groove, even as Aesop Rocks mix tries to force it in that direction, which may be precisely akin to the paranoid displacement H.P. Lovecraft felt upon moving to New York."

References



Category:2008 songs

Category:The Mountain Goats songs

Category:Works about H. P. Lovecraft

Category:Cultural depictions of American men

Category:Cultural depictions of writers

Category:Songs about New York City

Category:Songs about writers

Category:Music based on novels

Category:4AD singles

Buy Lovecraft in Brooklyn now from Amazon

<-- Return to songs from 2008



This work is released under CC-BY-SA. Some or all of this content attributed to http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1097198144.