The Sunset Tree

Whereas the Mountain Goats' previous album We Shall All Be Healed explored Darnielle's late teenage and early young adult years involved with other methamphetamine users,^[5] on The Sunset Tree Darnielle looks further back to focus on his childhood and high school years, and domestic violence emerges as a central recurring theme.^[6] The album title refers to a scene in Samuel Butler's The Way of All Flesh^[7] in which the character Theobald beats his son Ernest for being unable to pronounce a hard C when singing a hymn. The hymn, "The Tyrolese Evening Hymn", begins with the lines "Come, come, come, Come to the sunset tree."^[8]

English Wikisource has original text related to this article:

'Evening Song of the Tyrolese Peasants'
by Felicia Hemans

In the album's liner notes, Darnielle writes:

"Made possible by my stepfather, Mike Noonan (1940–2004): may the peace which eluded you in life be yours now

Dedicated to any young men and women anywhere who live with people who abuse them, with the following good news:

you are going to make it out of there alive

you will live to tell your story

never lose hope"^[9]

Many lyrics reference Darnielle's abusive childhood, especially in the songs "This Year", "Dance Music", and "Hast Thou Considered the Tetrapod". While the album's subject matter is often somber, dealing with Darnielle's longing for escape and feelings of powerlessness, many songs feature upbeat tempos and energetic arrangements that contrast with their lyrical content. The album also explores related themes of adolescent romance, substance abuse, and the coping mechanisms of youth navigating traumatic circumstances. The emotional arc builds toward the song "Lion's Teeth", which Darnielle has described as a "revenge fantasy" in an introduction to a live performance of the song.^[10]

The album concludes with the two final songs "Love Love Love", in which Darnielle notes the virtue and folly of doing things for reasons of love, and "Pale Green Things", in which he recalls a time his stepfather took him out to watch horses at a racetrack. Darnielle closes the song and the album with a lyric about his sister calling him to inform him of his stepfather's death.

More information Aggregate scores, Source ...

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	83/100[11]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[12]
Blender	[13]
Entertainment Weekly	B[14]
The Irish Times	[15]
Mojo	[16]
NME	6/10[17]
Pitchfork	7.2/10[7]
Rolling Stone	[18]
Spin	B+[19]
Uncut	[20]

Close

The Sunset Tree has a metascore of 83 on Metacritic based on 28 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim".^[11] Pitchfork placed The Sunset Tree at number 102 on their list of top 200 albums of the 2000s.^[21]

In 2010, the Art of Time Ensemble, featuring former Barenaked Ladies singer Steven Page, covered "Lion's Teeth" for their album A Singer Must Die.

• John Darnielle – vocals, guitar
• Peter Hughes – bass, backing vocals
• Erik Friedlander – cello
• Alex Decarville – drums
• Franklin Bruno – piano
• John Vanderslice – production
• Scott Solter – engineering
• Aaron Prellwitz – engineering
• Timin Murray – engineering