Latest Release
- 27 OCT 2023
- 12 Songs
- Tallahassee · 2002
- The Sunset Tree · 2005
- The Sunset Tree · 2005
- Transcendental Youth · 2012
- Transcendental Youth · 2012
- The Sunset Tree · 2005
- Transcendental Youth · 2012
- The Sunset Tree · 2005
- In League with Dragons · 2019
- The Sunset Tree · 2005
Essential Albums
- A captivating songwriter who has long used his imagination to shed light on the inner lives of misfits, from aging married folks to paranoid drug addicts, John Darnielle (the one constant member of this rotating ensemble) turns the microscope on himself for this unflinching look at his adolescence. Darnielle dedicates the album to his stepfather, an abusive drunk who made things difficult for his family. “Dance Music” spells out the angry tirades, glasses shattering, and a child hiding, with only music to block out the horror. “This Year” is Darnielle’s call to self-reliance (best line: “I am gonna make it through this year if it kills me”). Several other tunes replay difficult scenes, while others handle Darnielle’s other obsessions including reggae performer Dennis Brown’s weakness for cocaine. Many Mountain Goats albums were recorded under lo-fi conditions (basically, a Panasonic boombox). However, like many more recent MG collections, The Sunset Tree was recorded professionally and carefully uses the added fidelity to create a strong, never overpowering mood, with sawing strings accompanying Darnielle’s swiftly strummed acoustic guitar.
Music Videos
- 2022
- 2020
- 2008
- 2006
- 2006
Artist Playlists
- John Darnielle may be the textbook definition of an indie singer/songwriter.
- Navigating folk rock and lo-fi with undiminished intensity.
More To Hear
- Mark chats with Jon Wurster and attempts to define “indie rock.”
About The Mountain Goats
Songwriter John Darnielle has led California’s The Mountain Goats with hyper-literate, left-of-the-dial folk since the early ‘90s, evolving from lo-fi troubadour into the conceptual visionary behind indie touchstones like 2004’s The Sunset Tree.
- ORIGIN
- Claremont, CA, United States
- FORMED
- 1991
- GENRE
- Alternative