A.V. Club Undercover

The Mountain Goats cover Jawbreaker (2011x13)

: 07, 2011

When we heard from John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats that the band had chosen Jawbreaker's 1994 classic of punk-scene angst, "Boxcar," to cover for us, we were tickled. When they actually came in and played it, we were delighted. Though the band-song pairing seems a little incongruous, it actually makes a lot of sense: Both Jawbreaker and The Mountain Goats were/are led by literate guys who like to put their feelings right out there, naked. It just so happens that this song is an indictment of the kind of holier-than-thou punk attitudes that Darnielle probably can't relate to personally. Which makes it all the more fun to see and hear him rock the lines: "You're not punk, and I'm telling everyone" and "One, two, three four, who's punk, what's the score?" Sharp-eared fans will note a couple of lyrical changes, made perhaps so that Darnielle could relate to the song better. And sharp-eyed fans will recognize drummer Jon Wurster in his second Undercover performance, the first being Superchunk's version of "In Between Days."