NPR First Listen For The Mountain Goats' In League With Dragons (Out Friday on Merge)

NPR Music is hosting a First Listen for The Mountain Goats’ new album In League With Dragons (out Friday/Merge Records). It was produced by Owen Pallett and recorded in Nashville at Blackbird Studios. The Mountain Goats embark on a 50+ date tour that begins this Friday at the 9:30 Club in Washington, DC. Several shows on the tour have sold out, including Brooklyn Steel on April 30. 

Listen to NPR's First Listen here. 

The album “unfolds amid arrangements more polished and ambitious than early Mountain Goats fans could have ever imagined,” says NPR. “Darnielle's greatest gifts lie in his ability to pick apart more earthbound human frailties, and the songs on In League With Dragons operate accordingly.”

In League with Dragons was recorded by the Mountain Goats—songwriter and guitarist Darnielle, drummer Jon Wurster, bassist Peter Hughes, and multi-instrumentalist Matt Douglas.

Also debuting is season two of John Darnielle’s podcast I ONLY LISTEN TO THE MOUNTAIN GOATS, co-hosted with Welcome to Night Vale co-creator Joseph Fink. Recorded over several months during the making of In League With Dragons, season 2 gives us an unprecedented look at the creative process as it is happening, including the original demos for every single track on the album. Today’s episode is a breakdown of the song ‘Sicilian Crest’ and while the show focuses on the Mountain Goats’ upcoming album, the conversation is universal and captures what it means to be an artist, a fan, and as many people are, both at once. This is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to go inside the mind of an artist with the help of an expert in podcasting. Listen to episode 1 now. Embed code:

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John Darnielle recently spoke with Vanity Fair about the new album and his career, sat down with Consequence of Sound’s This Must Be The Gig podcast for an extensive interview, and the album has appeared on numerous spring previews including NY Magazine, AV Club and Paste. 

Pre-order ‘In League With Dragons’ here: http://smarturl.it/TMG-Dragons

Track List for In League With Dragons

1. Done Bleeding

2. Younger

3. Passaic 1975

4. Clemency for the Wizard King

5. Possum by Night

6. In League with Dragons

7. Doc Gooden

8. Going Invisible 2

9. Waylon Jennings Live!

10. Cadaver Sniffing Dog

11. An Antidote for Strychnine

12. Sicilian Crest

The Mountain Goats on tour:

Apr 26 Washington, DC – 9:30 Club (SOLD OUT)

Apr 27 Rehoboth Beach, DE – Dogfish Head Brewery (SOLD OUT)

Apr 28 Boston, MA – The Wilbur (SOLD OUT)

Apr 30 Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Steel (SOLD OUT)

May 01 Jersey City, NJ – White Eagle Hall (SOLD OUT)

May 03 Montreal, QC – L’Astral

May 04 Ottawa, ON – Bronson Centre

May 05 Toronto, ON – Phoenix

May 07 Pittsburgh, PA – Mr. Smalls Theatre

May 08 Pittsburgh, PA – Mr. Smalls Theatre

May 09 Cincinnati, OH – Woodward Theater (SOLD OUT)

May 10 Nashville, TN – Cannery Ballroom (SOLD OUT)

May 11 Memphis, TN – 1884 Lounge (SOLD OUT)

May 13 Bloomington, IN – Buskirk-Chumley Theater

May 14 Madison, WI – Majestic Theatre

May 15 Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall (SOLD OUT)

May 16 Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall (SOLD OUT)

May 17 Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue

Jul 17 Baltimore, MD – Ottobar

Jul 18 Baltimore, MD – Ottobar (SOLD OUT)

Jul 19 Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer (SOLD OUT)

Jul 20 Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer

Jul 22 Asbury Park, NJ – Asbury Lanes

Jul 23 Charlottesville, VA – Jefferson Theater

Jul 24 Durham, NC – Carolina Theatre*

Aug 16 Hickory, NC - Music in the Mill 

Aug 28 Salt Lake City, UT – Metro Music Hall

Aug 29 Jackson, WY – Pink Garter Theatre

Aug 30 Billings, MT – The Pub Station

Aug 31 Missoula, MT – Top Hat Lounge

Sep 01 Spokane, WA – Bing Crosby Theater

Sep 04 Seattle, WA – The Showbox (SOLD OUT)

Sep 05 Seattle, WA – Neumos (SOLD OUT)

Sep 06 Vancouver, BC – Imperial Vancouver

Sep 07 Eugene, OR – McDonald Theatre

Sep 09 Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom

Sep 10 Portland, OR – Aladdin Theater (SOLD OUT)

Sep 12 San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore (SOLD OUT)

Sep 13 San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore (SOLD OUT)

Sep 14 Los Angeles, CA – Belasco Theater

Sep 16 Anaheim, CA – House of Blues

Sep 17 San Diego, CA – House of Blues

Sep 18 Las Vegas, NV – Brooklyn Bowl

Nov 09 Slaktkyrkan - Stockholm, SE

Nov 10 Rockefeller - Oslo, NO

Nov 11 Pustervik - Gothenburg, SE

Nov 14 De Helling - Utrecht, NL

Nov 15 02 Shepherds bush empire - London, UK

Nov 16 Brudenell Social Club - Leeds, UK (SOLD OUT)

Nov 17 Brudenell Social Club - Leeds, UK (SOLD OUT)

Nov 18 St Luke’s - Glasgow, UK

Nov 20 Button Factory - Dublin, IE

Nov 22 Sala 0 - Madrid, ES

Nov 23 Café Torgal - Ourense, ES

Nov 24 Lisboa ao Vivo - Lisbon, PT

* MRG30 w/ Hiss Golden Messenger, H.C. McEntire