Phoebe West on Flickr
John Darnielle's fascination with heavy metal works its way into every part of his career. He is one of indie music's great songwriters—empathetic and imaginative in equal measure—and metal seems to be a geniune passion, as well as a springboard for his work. He's told stories about metal and metalheads in his music as the auteur of The Mountain Goats, from "The Best Ever Death Metal Band in Denton" to this year's Goths. Wolf in a White Van, his 2014 novel, used metal as a fantasy world for a tormented kid and a springboard for the author's own imagination; back in 2008, he wrote a 33 ⅓ book, a novella, on the Black Sabbath's Masters of Reality.Darnielle released a surprise EP last night, Marsh Witch Visions. Musically, it's a straightforward collection of four acoustic songs (plus a demo of "Rain in Soho," from Goths) that, in Darnielle's own words, were recorded "live and direct in the old school style." It's also based wholly around Ozzy Osbourne. You should listen to Marsh Witch Visions in full below. "California Jam," an attempt to get into Osbourne's mind as he moves from Birmingham to Los Angeles, is an early standout. Read what Darnielle wrote about the EP at the foot of the page.
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AT LONG LAST THE MARSH WITCH VISIONS EP RECORDED BY SCOTT SOLTER LIVE AND DIRECT IN THE OLD SCHOOL STYLE. FOUR SONGS ABOUT OZZY OSBOURNE PLUS THE HOME DEMO OF "RAIN IN SOHO" BEFORE IT GOT THE VOCAL ARRANGEMENT. IF YOU DONATED TO CHARITY BACK IN APRIL THEN PLEASE ACCEPT THESE SONGS AS A BELATED THANK YOU. IF YOU DIDN'T YOU CAN EITHER PAY WHAT YOU WANT OR DONATE TO A CHARITY, OR JUST DO WHAT YOU FEEL
DEDICATED TO MIKE K BACK IN CLAREMONT AT WHOSE HOUSE I FIRST HEARD MASTER OF REALITY WHEN I WAS SIXTEEN, DESPERATE & HIGH
[h/t Stereogum]Follow Alex Robert Ross on Twitter.RESPECT TO BIRMINGHAM