The Mountain Goats

In League With Dragons

Merge, 2019

9/10

Listen to In League With Dragons

Whenever a new album from The Mountain Goats shows up, it’s never a question of if the record is good, but just how good it is against the massive back catalog that John Darnielle has assembled since the early ‘90s.

This 17th album from The Mountain Goats continues the theme of exploring interests of Darnielle’s in song, as fantasy, wizards and crime scenes are all referenced in this quasi rock opera.

“Done Bleeding” starts the listen with keys and crisp percussion in the introspective soft-rocker, and “Younger” follows with a strong sense of rhythm in the busy setting where saxophones are in attendance.

In the middle, “Possum By Night” recruits piano balladry with expressive vocals, while the acoustic strumming of the title track oozes melody. One of the album’s best, “Doc Gooden”, then glides with a folk shuffle as Darnielle departs from fiction to discuss baseball.

Near the end, “Cadaver Sniffing Dog” moves with a quick pace of playful fun and meticulous guitar solos, and “Sicilian Crest” ends the record with a throwback feel in the prog-rock nods that put an exclamation point on this highly creative effort.

A listen that’s a little strange, definitely nerdy, and entirely captivating, The Mountain Goats are proving that they’re nowhere near running out of ideas, as they continue to be one of the most unpredictable outfits in indie-rock.

Travels well with: John K. Samson- Winter Wheat; The Decemberists- The King Is Dead