The Mountain Goats: The American indie band
The Mountain Goats exists by the grace of frontman John Darnielle, who in the early days (the early nineties) was also the sole member. Darnielle's lyrics are hyper-personal, musically The Mountain Goats bounce in all directions, from lo-fi to richly arranged indie rock. In recent years Darnielle has thrown all the brakes off: the 22nd album Jenny From Thebes (2023) became 'a rock opera about a woman named Jenny', the newly released successor Through This Fire Across From Peter Balkan (2025) is a concept album about a fishing boat that sinks. Suitable for literary indie rockers! Support act: Craig Finn. His name may not immediately ring a bell, but his voice does: he is the frontman of the American rock band The Hold Steady. On his sixth album Always Been (2025) Finn once again proves, besides being a driven rocker, also a storyteller of Springsteen-level.
