John Darnielle, singer and guitarist of the Mountain Goats, is not only a songwriter but also a writer. He has published three Romames, but many of his songs on his twenty albums to date are also short stories. Not just those set to music, but ones that only unfold in song format. Mountain Goats records tend to revolve around recurring themes. In 2023, Darnielle transitioned to indie rock musicals with the album JENNY FROM THEBES.
Editorial recommendations
The chosen direction is continued on THROUGH THIS FIRE ACROSS FROM PETER BALKAN, album number 23. 16 men set out to sea on a fishing boat, a storm hits, only three survive, including the narrator and the title character, Captain Peter Balkan. The songs tell of the fight for survival and apocalyptic visions.
The band’s sound has become even more opulent: the guitar mostly remains subtle, instead there are strings, sometimes a harp, background vocals, lots of synths and brass. The perfection of form here means that the music is never at the expense of the text and the text is never at the expense of the music. And if everything goes as it should, John Darnielle will go down not only in musical history but also in literary history as one of the great American storytellers.
This review first appeared in Musikexpress 12/2025.