"The Mountain Goats Vs. Bright Eyes" Would Be The Worst Name For a Blog Entry Ever

JJ, from Karma Spares No One, and I were AIMing it up t'other day and he flat out state that Bright Eyes was better that The Mountain Goats. Shocked and appalled, I requested an explanation. JJ's responded with: "[Conor Oberst's] lyrics are often better at describing an image and combining the absurd into the real world [than John Darnielle's]". Damned if he didn't nail that one. In that regard, I'd say yes, Bright Eyes is better than The Mountain Goats, but Bright Eyes just doesn't touch my soul in the same way the The Mountain Goats does. I do, however, see where JJ is coming from; Bright Eyes is, probably, one of the best writers of our generation, if not #1 (quoting JJ). You decide which you like better by listening to these two absolutely amazing live sets by both of my boys:

I love this set, mostly because it is the earliest Mountain Goats live set I have. Another reason is because I think it portrays what an amazing "banter-er" John Darnielle is, and was. Plus it has the only version of "No, I Can't" that I actually like.

Band: The Mountain Goats
Date: 1996-03-20
Venue: The Garage

I've Got the Sex
Whole Wide World (Fast Version)
Cheshire County
Going To Palestine
The Anglo-Saxons (Messes Up Lyrics)
The Recognition Scene
Fresh Berries For You (Fast Version)
Seeing Daylight
California Song (Acoustic)
The Sign (Ace of Base cover) (Funny Banter)
Nine Black Poppies (Fast Version)
Going To Georgia
No, I Can't (Fast Version)



Many years ago I set out to listen to every band on the label that my favorite band (The Prodigy) was signed to, my reason being that I assumed that if XL Recordings signed what I see as the best damn band eva, they must be signing other amazing bands. This is how I discovered the band Super Furry Animals. Since I discovered them, I fell in love with them. Gruff, singer for SFA, joins Bright Eyes for a song or two near the end of the set.

Band: Bright Eyes
Date: 2006-06-16
Venue: Bonnaroo Music Festival

Intro
Four Winds
Train Under Water
First Day Of My Life
Ship In A Bottle
Take It Easy (Love Nothing)
Poison Oak
Love I Don't Have To Love
Soul Singer In The Session Band
Another Travelin' Song
Gillian And David Intro
Lua
Laura Laurent
Hello Sunshine (Super Furry Animals Cover) (w/ Gruff from Super Furry Animals)
Singing A Song In The Morning (w/ Gruff from Super Furry Animals)
An Attempt To Tip The Scales
Well Whiskey
June On The West Coast