The Mountain Goats is a folk rock band founded by singer-songerwriter John Darnielle. The band has taken on several incarnations with various members joining Darnielle in recordings and on tour. As of late 2007, the band's touring line-up included Darnielle, Peter Hughes and Superchunk drummer Jon Wurster.
The Mountain Goats are particularly praised for Darnielle's lyrics which he describes as involving, "desperate characters who've found themselves in some trouble and want to moan about it a little before taking their lumps."
Darnielle formed The Mountain Goats in 1991 while attending Pitzer College in Claremont, California. He worked as a psychiatric nurse at the time and some of his most well-known songs, including "The Best Ever Death Metal Band Out of Denton," are partially based on his experiences there. The Mountain Goats name, itself, is a reference to the Screamin' Jay Hawkins song "Big Yellow Coat."
Full-Length Albums
- 1991: Taboo VI: The Homecoming
- 1992: The Hound Chronicles
- 1993: Hot Garden Stomp
- 1994: Zopilote Machine
- 1995: Sweden
- 1995: Hail and Farewell, Gothenburg
- 1996: Nothing for Juice
- 1997: Full Force Galesburg
- 2000: The Coroner's Gambit
- 2002: All Hail West Texas
- 2002: Tallahassee
- 2004: We Shall All Be Healed
- 2005: The Sunset Tree
- 2006: Get Lonely
- 2008: Heretic Pride