The Mountain Goats

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Claremont, Los Angeles CA, United States (1991 – present)

The Mountain Goats is the musical project of and guitarist John Darnielle. The New Yorker magazine referred to him as “America’s best non-hip-hop lyricist”. In its June 2006 issue, Paste magazine named Darnielle one of the “100 Best Living Songwriters”. Darnielle’s lyrics are literate and filled with imagery that reference classic literature, religion and mythologies, culture, art and history. Others are vague references to his stepfather, and with the 2005 album The Sunset Tree Darnielle finally offers a more intimate account of his experience as an abused child.

Darnielle began performing under the name the Mountain Goats in 1991 in Claremont, California, where he attended Pitzer College and worked as a psychiatric nurse. The band’s name, the Mountain Goats, is a reference to the Screamin’ Jay Hawkins song Yellow Coat. Darnielle released his first album, Taboo VI: The Homecoming, on Shrimper Records. Many of his first recordings and performances featured Darnielle accompanied by members of the all-girl reggae band, The Casual Girls, who became known as The Bright Mountain Choir. One of this group’s members, Rachel Ware, continued to accompany Darnielle on bass, both live and in studio, until 1995.

Highly prolific, since the early Darnielle has released over a dozen Mountain Goats albums, 6 full-length cassettes, various 7” singles, 10” and 12” EP’s and has contributed to compilations and label samplers too numerous to mention.
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Top Albums

  • The Sunset Tree
    The Mountain Goats Play
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  • Tallahassee
    The Mountain Goats Play
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  • All Hail West Texas
    The Mountain Goats Play
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  • Get Lonely
    The Mountain Goats
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Top Tracks

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751
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738
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660
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646
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631
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598
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589
10
461
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454
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433
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  • CourtTv

    I don't know why birth of serpents isn't on the top 15 at least

    1 hour ago
  • CourtTv

    yah... way too late. this was on my ipod for 2 years before I actually listened. lmao

    yesterday morning
  • CKDough

    discovered this way too late...

    yesterday morning
  • Enokii

    WHY HAVE I LISTENED TO THIS BEFORE

    Saturday afternoon
  • DeafenedMetal

    the mountain goats

    12 days ago
  • Backmasking

    John Green's favorite band :3

    23 days ago
  • SaveSatan

    WHY HAVE I NOT LISTENED TO THIS BEFORE [2]

    23 days ago
  • Midgetto52

    This band messes up my nice consistent "Top Artists" curve so bad... quit making such damn good music, John!

    27 days ago
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Run Away, Teach Self Chords, Tour Years Later

17 Apr 2012 | from www.mountain-goats.com/

So, I'm going to tell you a sad little story about me as a kid. Don't get too sad, though, it has a happy ending, I love literally everything about my life and I have this probably-dumb-but-what-the-hell mystical sense that if even one …

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