The Mountain Goats Reveal “Sicilian Crest” From In League With Dragons (Merge Records / April 26)

Today the Mountain Goats have unveiled “Sicilian Crest,” the latest new song from their forthcoming album In League with Dragons, out in just two weeks (April 26/Merge Records).

Listen to “Sicilian Crest” here: https://youtu.be/yHDsTbMcm_k

Says Darnielle: 

“Sicilian Crest,” lyrically, is more reminiscent of early Mountain Goats than anything since a couple of the songs on Heretic Pride — but began life as an in comprehensible title in a notebook, has its genesis in playing around at the piano with my son while a Moridira Hurricane & a Fender Twin on standby stood close at hand, and ended up being a cryptically political dance number with shades of New Order or the Alarm. My bandmates are going to kill me for referencing The Alarm in this announcement, and one of them will kill me twice if I don't mention that the Alarm's drummer's name was "Twist." So, should the worst come to pass, please enjoy my funeral, and in the meantime please enjoy this episode of “I Only Listen to the Mountain Goats."

Also debuting today 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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In League with Dragons finds the band affording a producer more leeway to guide and shape the direction of their album than ever before, calling on Owen Pallett to join them in Nashville at Blackbird Studios. It was engineered by Matt Ross-Spang (Margo Price, Jason Isbell, John Prine), and recorded by the Mountain Goats—songwriter and guitarist Darnielle, drummer Jon Wurster, bassist Peter Hughes, and multi-instrumentalist Matt Douglas, alongside a core of musicians enlisted by Pallett -- Bram Gielen, Thomas Gill, and Johnny Spence -- who, with Pallet's own contributions on piano and string arrangements, make In League With Dragons sonically the most fully realized album in the band's storied catalogue. The mix is by Shani Gandhi (Sarah Jarosz, Parker Milsap, Dierks Bentley).

John 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. 

The Mountain Goats will embark on tour with over 50 dates that begins April 26 at the 9:30Club in Washington, DC. Several shows on the tour have sold out, including Brooklyn Steel on April 30. Full list of dates below. 

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

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

http://www.mountain-goats.com/