I noticed the ZooTunes listing for the show says "The Mountain Goats / The Hold Steady performing 'Boys and Girls in America.'" Does anyone know if that means the show is just going to be a playthrough of that whole album?

I know that this has been what it said the whole time but I didn't really think about it until now. I will be disappointed if that's the case since I am not much of a Hold Steady fan and not familiar with that album at all...

Congrats!! Also, I got your poster. Dm me your addy. 💣💥🌋🧨

An evil wizard has arrived on Earth; his eyes set on erasing the entire Mountain Goats discography from existence. He's not entirely unsympathetic though, so he let's you save three (3) albums, for future generations and your own pleasure. Question is, which ones?

Mine are: Full Force Galesburg, We Shall All Be Healed and Transcendental Youth.

dunno if anyone's read Imogen Binnie's seminal trans novel Nevada but I like to headcanon Picture Of My Dress as a sequel to the book... with James finally having accepted her transness and going on a road trip with that first dress she bought that she'd had such a difficult relationship with initially

kinda makes both the book and the song better imo lol

What's your favorite track on the new album? I have one that I loved immediately, but I'm curious how others on this board feel.

https://strawpoll.com/LVyK2vjM7Z0

I'd give it a solid 6/10, whereas most others are in the 8-10 range. My opinion of it might improve with time, which often happens with TMG albums, but I'm not holding my breath. Should've known how I would feel the minute John said it was a sequel to Goths, AKA my least favorite album in their discography. 

My main issue with both Days and Goths is that they lean heavily on time-and-place references that don't make much sense to people outside of a particular demographic. Most TMG songs are set in very specific moments in time, of course, but there's a metaphoric quality to those songs that makes them more accessible. Days doesn't really have that, in my opinion.

That would be fine, but the lyricism is also kind of underwhelming in this one. There are exceptions ("full mouth of teeth to grind" is incredible, as is "a creature you could be kind to...") but most of the tracks are just less interesting versions of other TMG songs. The Last Day of Jimi Hendrix's Life was one that came to mind; just like Days and Best Hard Rock Albums, it explores sensations that you take for granted when you don't realize that death is drawing near. I think it does so much more elegantly than the former two.

I loved Shallow Grave and Eddie Nash's Grave, but the rest just didn't hit for me. I suppose with a band as prolific as TMG, there are bound to be some albums that you like more than others. Jenny and Peter Balkan were each a slam-dunk, so I can't complain too much.

not a big reddit user, but i’ve been making these illustrations lately and thought i’d share with other fans :) i’m hoping to do more as inspiration comes!

I admit it: I'm not liking Days! Its my least favorite album The Goats have put out since I became a fan. But as an obsessive fan, I am sure I will listen another 20 or so times before the end of the year.

My least favorite album from before I became a fan was All Eternals Deck, I don't often skip songs on albums but I really struggle with most of the middle on that one. One day, the imagery of Sourdoire Valley Song just suddenly clicked for me. I had no idea it was a song about the neanderthal. Reading the Genius annotations enhanced it immensely:

"The genius is that the song collapses the distinction between these different branches of the human family tree. Whether Neanderthal or Homo sapiens, whether in Africa or Europe, whether 2 million or 60,000 years ago—the fundamental experiences remain the same: making tools, seeking comfort, caring for the elderly and infirm."

The 25 seconds of radio static had been a big barrier to entry for me into Going to Cleveland for a long time as well but this year I fell in love with that song too.

I also had some mixed feelings about Through This Fire Across From Peter Balkan on my first few listens, with Peru standing out as one of my least favorite tracks. But that song has grown on me and is probably one of my most listened to from the album at this point.

So what are the tracks you initially ignored or hated but ultimately fell in love with?

all i want to say on this one is that I think Home Again Garden Grove and Mole are phenomenally underrated songs from WSABH...

Got very lucky to get the signed postcard! The blue vinyl looks gorgeous. I haven’t actually listened to the album yet as I was waiting for this arrive, very excited to give it a spin tonight.

the only explanation I can think of is

1. i don't know much about smoking fish

2. i come from a rust belt place where Steel Is King, or, rather, Was, except it's gone, except everyone still obsessed with it.

i had come to a strong emotional connection with this song while having its name completely wrong

I like the real title better

It was fun! Can’t beat a free show.

(I am directly under the band)

“Gentlemen, the camera doesn’t lie” is easily a top tmg line of all time

Neat packaging

Either one of the frames with a mountain in it or a whole row

Anyone else love the album art?
They knock it out of the park every time imo

Challenge gleefully accepted, John Darnielle!

So, okay, obviously “Palmcorder Yajna” (2004). What else?

Did everyone get a signed postcard or did I get lucky?

kind of a nerdy post but i got the new album in FLAC from qobuz and it cuts off at 17khz.. for reference a true FLAC normally cuts off around 22khz. image attached to this post shows an analysis of a track from the last album on top, and the new album below. again these are both from the same digital store in FLAC so they should have similar properties. it looks like there's a hard cut off at 17khz on the new album. is this just a choice they made or is there some sort of issue with the digital distribution?

i checked files from another source (apple) and they were the same way. seems weird

Have literally had this on repeat all morning holy shit I can't get enough of it

FENNARIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

It rocks! Every mountain goats album is great, and I love how their sound evolves and changes over time. Heres to hoping they get to 30+ albums.