John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats is easily one of our greatest living songwriters. Often, his stripped arrangements and spiritual fascinations yield fascinating work - like The Life Of The World To Come, with each track named after a Bible verse. Once in a blue moon, the same elements drive Darnielle dangerously close to the easily digestible stylings of God-fearing radio. "Old College Try" is such an example, as the official strumming pattern of Christian rock pairs with an organ. Where usually Darnielle's abrasive voice would throw off any hint of normality, he sounds at points like an altar boy unsure of his range in the face of puberty. The hook - "I will walk down to the end with you" - is one of those great moments where "you" could be either a lady or God. We assume the former, since the next line is "If you will come all the way down with me" and most love letters to the heavens don't contain an ultimatum.
2. Death Cab For Cutie - "Marching Bands Of Manhattan"
Whatever level of awareness Ben Gibbard was channeling when he wrote "Marching Bands Of Manhattan" from 2005's Plans, he failed to notice that his melody was nearly identical to the Contemporary Christian staple "I Could Sing Of Your Love Forever."
1. Jeff Buckley - "Hallelujah"
If you've watched television, ever, you've probably heard Jeff Buckley's take on Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" score a dramatic program's most dramatic scene. Hell, John Cale's version was in Shrek. The song is so effective because of the way it shows the multiple contexts of the celebratory title. Jeff Buckley particularly favored the sexual connotations that might come with uttering "Hallelujah". Amen. The hook is very similar to the "Hallelujah" commonly sung in Catholic weddings. It sounds like Christian rock, but it could also pass a Buddhist rock or Hindu rock; it's an open-ended anthem of spirituality, adoptable for any time, place, or person in need of instant significance.
