The 20th(!) album by the Mountain Goats is a strange and interesting beast full of lush sounds, bold sonic changes, and that lyrical prowess you’ve come to know and love about ol’ John Darnielle.

These are the 20 best albums of the year.

Rather than attempting to re-create his glory days, John Darnielle revisits and enriches them by looking at things in a new way.

We have reached the halfway point of 2020. In the past, we would use this time to pause, light up the grill and enjoy the summer, bathing ourselves in the glorious new music that this year has yielded. Not in 2020. As we struggle with COVID-19, music is now a balm, a way to get past the days of being …

For longtime fans of the Mountain Goats, the existence of Songs for Pierre Chuvin can feel like the perfect confluence of circumstances.

The act of playing three nights to sold-out crowds as a solo artist can be incredibly daunting for any performer, even one as seasoned as Darnielle.

To those who can’t stomach that noise, please remember this: beneath the noise lies magical songwriting worth pushing through for.

Part of what makes the Mountain Goats the best band ever is the depth of material, which lends itself to various circles of obsession on par with the most fiendish Grateful Dead acolyte.

A worthy and welcome addition to an already stellar catalog.

John Darnielle is a musician who wants no barrier between him and his fans, both metaphorical and literal.