“I broke free on a Saturday morning…”  I’ve been blasting The Mountain Goats song This Year to get me through my low points for almost 6 years now. It was the first song I ever heard by my now favorite band, maybe that’s part of why it stuck. Or maybe it’s the power of the chorus. I am gonna make it through this year if it kills me.

The Sunset tree, which turned 18 this year, is an exploration of songwriter John Darnielle’s Childhood, and the abuse he survived at the hand of his stepfather, whose passing was the catalyst for the album. This is made clear directly in the album’s dedication.

“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“

The thesis of the album is Darnielle  telling his story on his own terms. He spares no punches and refuses to create heroes and villains, only people struggling to survive and learning to love. Love itself is a key factor throughout most of the songs on the album. On Broom People, and This Year, Darnielle escapes his situation with girlfriends, finding comfort in his first tastes of love. In Dance Music his love of music serves as his champion as a child. Drowning out the sounds of his stepfather throwing glasses at his mother by blasting dance music. “So this is what the volume knobs for.”  And near the end of the album we get Darnielle’s most complex exploration of love yet, Love Love Love. This song is an exploration of the darker side of love. The type of love causes people to cheat, murder and commit acts of self destruction.

John doesn’t forgive his step-father through The Sunset Tree, but he offers something possibly more difficult, understanding. He does not shy away from his darker memories.  One of the most difficult to stomach songs for me is Hast Thou Considered the Tetrapod, where he talks about being physically abused by Noonan and the sense of isolation it caused him. Guarding his face and begging for mercy, we see him at his most vulnerable and yet it ends in hope for his survival “Held under these smothering waves, by your strong and thick veined hand, but one of these days, I’m going to wriggle up on dry land.” The abuse that he suffered was horrific and underserved but Darnielle finds peace in the humanity of his abuser. On the albums closer, Pale Green Things, he shares a happy memory between himself and his step father, betting on a horse race. This memory is the first thing he remembered when he heard that this abuser died. He feels a sense of relief but still can’t shake the peaceful moment they had together.

This album delivers on its promise to spread the message that hope is not foolish but an invaluable tool for survival. 9/10 Stars