Our First 100 Days may have been inspired by (well-deserved) apprehension regarding the Trump presidency, but it’s become so much more than that. The proceeds from sales of the compilation—which features Angel Olsen, Toro Y Moi, and many more—go directly to women’s rights, immigration, and fairness advocacy groups. Never ones to shy away from contributing music to a good cause, The Mountain Goats have dropped their First 100 Days track.
The sparse song features just Darnielle’s vocals and strumming, but it rings out all the clearer for its simplicity. “Etruscans” is a nice throwback to earlier, pre-Beat The Champ songs; all it’s missing is the loud whirring of his tape track, reeling into place. The title reference to the Etruscan civilization, which has long since come and gone, probably has some bearing on the democracy that’s crumbling all around us.
And if you liked that, maybe you want to help Darnielle help spiders devour human beings.
