The Mountain Goats

The Mountain Goats were formed in 1991 by John Darnielle, a songwriter, novelist, and recovering addict. At the time of this writing, their most popular song, with 81 million plays, is "No Children," a story about a marriage that has gone on too long, until all that's left is contempt, self-hatred, and a man who hopes the junkyard a few blocks away someday burns down. Their second most popular song, with 49 million plays, is "This Year," a story about getting through the year even if it kills you, and heading north on Mills Avenue with the pedal to the floor. Of the combined 130 million plays, I am probably 129 million.

Although John Darnielle had classical piano training as a child, he is not usually praised as a traditionally polished musician or singer. The Mountain Goats' early boombox-recorded albums have a reputation for being lo-fi, abrasive, or even bad. But Darnielle's talent is telling stories about making a pot of coffee and drinking it all, because your ex-girlfriend hated when things went to waste. Or about how the most remarkable thing about someone standing in the doorway is that it is them, and they are standing in the doorway.

That last line comes from "Going to Georgia," one of his most controversial songs, which Darnielle has since disavowed. It is also, regrettably, one of the most fun Mountain Goats songs to sing along to.

I discovered the band in 2014 while watching the ending scene of The Walking Dead, Season 4, Episode 12, titled "Still." Their song "Up the Wolves" plays while two characters burn down a house. My fifteen-year-old self heard, "I'm gonna bribe the officials, I'm gonna kill all the judges / It's gonna take you people years to recover from all of the damage," and I thought, "That's dark and edgy. I love it."

This also coincided with a period of my life where I didn't want to make it to the next year. A time when I confused intensity with being deep or even romantic. It's why I resonated with "Up the Wolves," and why I wanted more of that from John Darnielle. Instead, I found many different stories about broken people getting by or hoping to be saved. Some were intense, but many more were melancholic and reflective, which I think was a better place for me to settle into. I owe a debt to John Darnielle that I might never be able to repay, because I made it through all those years and it didn't kill me.

5 Stars.