Last year, John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats took a break from storytelling through music to release a novel called Wolf in White Van. Moving on from that project, however, he's now announced a new Mountain Goats LP.
The new album is called Beat the Champ, and as the above cover might suggest, it's all about wrestling. Describing the 12-song LP, Darnielle shared the following statement through his Tumblr:
All that glory. All that shine. Nameless bodies in unremembered rooms. Some people might be thinking to themselves, JD, wrestling, I don't know, I've never really been into wrestling, but did I steer you wrong with the Bible album, even though you may not have been super-into the Bible? Fear not. In a world of false promises and hollow gimmicks, please rest assured that the old maxim still holds true, whether scrawled on the back of a claim check or carved into a bench in an abandoned locker room: you can't trust much, but you can trust the Mountain Goats.
A press release for the album also features a lengthy write-up from Joseph Fink of the Welcome to Night Vale podcast. Of the album, he said, "It is, as any fan of the band will expect, a heartbreaking and heartreviving album about imperfect people described perfectly, with melodies that will stay with you for days."
Merge Records will issue Beat the Champ on April 7. The release will also be available in a deluxe edition that features a bonus 12-inch with the non-album track "Blood Capsules," along with a dub version of the same song.
Listen to album track "The Legend of Chavo Guerrera" below.
Also below, you'll find a bunch of newly announced Mountain Goats dates, though all are in the U.S.
Tour dates:
04/02 Nashville, TN – Mercy Lounge
04/03 Asheville, NC – Grey Eagle
04/04 Savannah, GA – The Jinx (Savannah Stopover Music Festival)
04/07 Carrboro, NC – Cat's Cradle
04/08 Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
04/09 New York, NY – Webster Hall
04/11 New York, NY – City Winery
04/12 New York, NY – City Winery
04/13 Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer
04/14 Boston, MA – House of Blues
04/16 Cincinnati, OH – Bogart's
04/17 Detroit, MI – Majestic Theatre
04/18 Chicago, IL – Vic Theatre
04/19 Minneapolis, MN – Cedar Cultural Center
04/21 Louisville, KY – Headliners
04/22 Columbus, OH – Wexner Center
04/23 Millvale, PA – Mr. Smalls Theatre
05/8-10 Atlanta, GA – Shaky Knees Music Festival
05/26 Denver, CO – Gothic Theatre
05/27 Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge
05/29 Seattle, WA – The Showbox
05/30 Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom
06/01 San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
06/03 Los Angeles, CA – Mayan Theater
The new album is called Beat the Champ, and as the above cover might suggest, it's all about wrestling. Describing the 12-song LP, Darnielle shared the following statement through his Tumblr:
All that glory. All that shine. Nameless bodies in unremembered rooms. Some people might be thinking to themselves, JD, wrestling, I don't know, I've never really been into wrestling, but did I steer you wrong with the Bible album, even though you may not have been super-into the Bible? Fear not. In a world of false promises and hollow gimmicks, please rest assured that the old maxim still holds true, whether scrawled on the back of a claim check or carved into a bench in an abandoned locker room: you can't trust much, but you can trust the Mountain Goats.
A press release for the album also features a lengthy write-up from Joseph Fink of the Welcome to Night Vale podcast. Of the album, he said, "It is, as any fan of the band will expect, a heartbreaking and heartreviving album about imperfect people described perfectly, with melodies that will stay with you for days."
Merge Records will issue Beat the Champ on April 7. The release will also be available in a deluxe edition that features a bonus 12-inch with the non-album track "Blood Capsules," along with a dub version of the same song.
Listen to album track "The Legend of Chavo Guerrera" below.
Also below, you'll find a bunch of newly announced Mountain Goats dates, though all are in the U.S.
Tour dates:
04/02 Nashville, TN – Mercy Lounge
04/03 Asheville, NC – Grey Eagle
04/04 Savannah, GA – The Jinx (Savannah Stopover Music Festival)
04/07 Carrboro, NC – Cat's Cradle
04/08 Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
04/09 New York, NY – Webster Hall
04/11 New York, NY – City Winery
04/12 New York, NY – City Winery
04/13 Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer
04/14 Boston, MA – House of Blues
04/16 Cincinnati, OH – Bogart's
04/17 Detroit, MI – Majestic Theatre
04/18 Chicago, IL – Vic Theatre
04/19 Minneapolis, MN – Cedar Cultural Center
04/21 Louisville, KY – Headliners
04/22 Columbus, OH – Wexner Center
04/23 Millvale, PA – Mr. Smalls Theatre
05/8-10 Atlanta, GA – Shaky Knees Music Festival
05/26 Denver, CO – Gothic Theatre
05/27 Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge
05/29 Seattle, WA – The Showbox
05/30 Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom
06/01 San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
06/03 Los Angeles, CA – Mayan Theater
