The Mountain Goats confirm West Coast headlining tour
John Darnielle, of the Mountain Goats
For those of you who have heard All Eternals Deck, the latest from the Mountain Goats, and like me wondered when we might get a chance to see and hear the songs performed in a live setting, wait no more! The Mountain Goats have confirmed a string of headlining West Coast tour dates, including a show at the El Rey Theatre in LA on June 23! The band is also scheduled to play Lollapalooza in August, as well as several dates with Bright Eyes.
SPIN Magazine praised John Darnielle as “indie rock’s greatest lyricist,” and I myself wrote in my Stereo Subversion review of the album that “the Mountain Goats stand here in 2011 ushering in the year with an album which dares to preach the word of musical invigoration, creativity and depth.” If you’re near one of these performances and call yourself a fan of meaningful muisc in any form, you owe it to yourself to check it out.
The following tour dates are confirmed:
6/14 – Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater
6/16 – Seattle, WA @ The Showbox
6/17 – Vancouver, BC @ The Biltmore Cabaret
6/18 – Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theater
6/20 – San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
6/23 – Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre
6/26 – Bloomington, IN @ Rhino’s Youth Center (solo set)
7/27 – Lewiston, NY @ Artpark *
7/28 – Gilford, NH @ Meadowbrook US Cellular Pavilion *
7/29 – South Burlington, VT @ The Green At Shelburne Museum *
7/30 – Montreal, QC @ Osheaga Festival
7/31 – Baldwinsville, NY @ Papermill Island Amphitheatre *
8/3 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Meijer Gardens *
8/4 – Indianapolis, IN @ Egyptian Room *
8/5-8/7 – Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza
* = with Bright Eyes
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For more information, visit http://www.mountain-goats.com.
ALBUM REVIEW: The Mountain Goats – “All Eternals Deck”
Year of the Album — #018
The Mountain Goats – “All Eternals Deck” (2011, Merge Records)
Whether with a band or as a solo musician, John Darnielle has been building his name as one of the best living lyricists not named Dylan, album after consistent album. And 2011’s All Eternals Deck doesn’t break that pattern, proving to be an adventurous and addictive listen from start to finish.
Darnielle’s vocals remind me of a blend of They Might Be Giants and R.E.M., but his music with Mountain Goats never really fits into such an easy descriptive box. All Eternals Deck builds on the religious imagery of 2009’s The Life of the World to Come, which was something of a concept album inspired by specific verses of the Christian Bible. All Eternals Deck, its title derived from a fictional set of tarot cards described in the liner notes, takes on a more pagan angle, as evidenced by the album’s first track, “Damn These Vampires,” and “High Hawk Season,” which almost sounds like a western-noir spiritual.
In the end, the Mountain Goats stand here in 2011 ushering in the year with an album which dares to preach the word of musical invigoration, creativity and depth. Those who listen to the album are almost certain to instantly spread the word about the quality within.
To read the rest of the review, visit Stereo Subversion!
