The Life of the World to Come

by The Mountain Goats

The Life of the World to Come cover art
  • Type: Album
  • Released: 5 October 2009
  • Label: 4AD
  • Country: United States
  • Length: 43:40
  • Community rating: 3.68/5 from 5 ratings

Artists on this release: Peter Hughes, Jon Wurster, John Darnielle

Album Notes & Community Reviews

On this deeply introspective seventeenth studio album, John Darnielle names every track after a specific Bible verse, using scripture as a framework to explore themes of mortality, faith, and profound existential crisis. The project was heavily inspired by the terminal illness of a close friend, resulting in incredibly sparse, piano-driven arrangements and hushed, devastating vocal performances. It is considered one of his most challenging and emotionally naked releases.

Genres

Descriptors: Acoustic, christian, existential, conceptual, death, suicide, biblical, folk, acoustic, storytelling, piano

Tracklist

  1. 1 Samuel 15:23 (4:09)
  2. Psalms 40:2 (3:15)
  3. Genesis 3:23 (3:12)
  4. Philippians 3:20-21 (3:05)
  5. Hebrews 11:40 (2:50)
  6. Genesis 30:3 (3:26)
  7. Romans 10:9 (2:44)
  8. 1 John 4:16 (3:11)
  9. Matthew 25:21 (5:50)
  10. Deuteronomy 2:10 (3:25)
  11. Isaiah 45:23 (3:40)
  12. Ezekiel 7 and the Permanent Efficacy of Grace (4:48)

Credits

More from The Mountain Goats: full discography