
The Mountain Goats are an American indie folk band formed in Claremont, California, by singer-songwriter John Darnielle. The band is currently based in Durham, North Carolina. For many years, the sole member of the Mountain Goats was Darnielle, despite the plural moniker. Although he remains the core member of the band, he has worked with a variety of collaborators over time, including bassist and vocalist Peter Hughes, drummer Jon Wurster, multi-instrumentalist Matt Douglas, singer-songwriter Franklin Bruno, bassist and vocalist Rachel Ware, singer-songwriter/producer John Vanderslice, guitarist Kaki King, and multi-instrumentalist Annie Clark.
Throughout the 1990s, the Mountain Goats were known for producing low-fidelity home recordings (most notably, on a cassette deck boombox) and releasing recordings in cassette or vinyl 7-inch formats. Since 2002, the Mountain Goats have adopted a more polished approach, often recording studio albums with a full band.
Links to Peel[]
Peel seemed to have discovered the Mountain Goats in 1993 and would sporadically play tracks from them throughout the 90's. In the 2000's, he started to play more of their music and in 2003 the band did their debut Peel session and would do another one a year later. After Peel's death, the group's Your Belgian Things track entered at number 46 in the 2004 Festive Fifty.
In November 2019, when performing at the Shepherds Bush Empire in London, singer John Darnielle, before playing the track Dance Music, talked about the song and praised Peel:
"We get to do a Peel session, with John Peel, one of the greatest people who ever lived. [...] Lot of bands just play what they're touring when they get to their Peel session, but of course I stand in eternal judgment of these bands. They should play new stuff in a Peel session, stuff nobody's ever even heard. But all I had was a bunch of new lyrics, managed to get all four I was making up chords as fast as I can. [...] This was one of the lyrics that I wrote in the van, standing, sitting outside the Paris venue, waiting to get in and and laid down some quick chords to and made a song, John Peel this is for you" [1]
Festive Fifty Entries[]
- 2004 Festive Fifty: Your Belgian Things #46
Sessions[]
John Peel's Mountain Goats (Peel Session)
1. Recorded: 2003-01-30. First Broadcast: 13 February 2003
- When I Get Home / Linda Blair Was Born Innocent / Cheshire County / Shadow Song
2. Recorded: 2004-04-08. First Broadcast: 28 April 2004
- Dance Music / Hast Thou Considered The Tetrapod / Broom People / Magpie
Other Shows Played[]
- 1993
- 27 February 1993: Going To Catalina (7" - Songs For Petronius) (Shrimper)
- 1994
- 28 January 1994: The Monkey Song (7" EP - Philyra) Theme Park
- 12 February 1994: Love Cuts The Strings (7" EP - Philyra) Theme
- 16 July 1994: ‘Pure Heat (Split 7 inch - Why You All So Thief? )’ Sing Eunuchs!
- 03 September 1994: Alpha Incipiens (LP: Zopilote Machine) (Ajax)
- 15 October 1994 (BFBS): Alpha Sunhat (album - Zopilote) Ajax
- 1995
- 17 June 1995: 'Blood Royal (7"-Orange Raja, Blood Royal)' (Walt)
- 01 July 1995 (BFBS): 'Blood Royal (7"-Orange Raja, Blood Royal)' (Walt)
- 20 October 1995: The Last Day of Jimi Hendrix's Life (Various Artists 7 inch - Cool Beans! #4 Twice The Caffeine) Cool Beans!
- 28 October 1995 (BFBS): 'The Last Day Of Jimi Hendrix's Life (Compilation 7"-Cool Beans! #4 Twice The Caffeine)' (Cool Beans!)
- 01 December 1995: 'Cubs In Five (CD-Nine Black Poppies)' (Emperor Jones)
- 2001
- 04 January 2001 (Radio Eins): Island Garden Song
- 07 January 2001 (BFBS): 'Family Happiness (LP-The Coroner's Gambit)' (Absoutely Kosher)
- 11 January 2001: Elijah (CD - The Coroner's Gambit) Absolutely Kosher
- 08 February 2001: There Will Be No Divorce (CD - The Coroner's Gambit) Absolutely Kosher
- 01 March 2001: 'There Will Be No Divorce (CD-Coroner's Gambit)' (Absolutely Kosher)
- 01 March 2001 (Radio Eins): 'There Will Be No Divorce (CD-Coroner's Gambit)' (Absolutely Kosher)
- 06 March 2001: Family Happiness (LP - The Coroner's Gambit) Absolutely Kosher
- 2002
- 05 February 2002: 'The Best Ever Death Metal Band In Denton' (Emperor Jones)
- 19 February 2002: Fall Of The Star High School Running Back (LP – All Hail West Texas) Emperor Jones
- 21 February 2002 (Radio Mafia): The Best Ever Death Metal Band In Denton (Emperor Jones)
- 06 March 2002 (Radio Mafia): The Best Ever Death Metal Band In Denton (Emperor Jones)
- 21 March 2002 (Radio Eins): Fall Of The Star High School Running Back (album - All Hail West Texas) Emperor Jones
- 19 November 2002: The House That Dripped Blood (LP - Tallahassee) 4AD
- 21 November 2002: New Chevrolet In Flames (b/w See America Right CD Single) 4AD
- 28 November 2002 (Radio Eins): The House That Dripped Blood (album - Tallahassee)
- 17 December 2002: See America Right (CD Single) 4AD
- 2003
- 12 February 2003: See America Right (Various LP - Rough Trade Shops - Counter Culture 2002) Mute
- 20 January 2004: Palmcorder Yajna (Single: CDR Demo) White Label
- 03 February 2004: Slow West Vultures (LP - Shall All be Healed) 4AD
- 05 February 2004: 'Your Belgian Things (LP- We Shall All Be Healed)' (4AD)
- 14 February 2004 (BBC World Service): Your Belgian Things (CD - We Shall All Be Healed) 4AD
- 19 February 2004: 'Letter From Belgium (LP - We Shall All Be Healed)' (4AD)
- 06 March 2004 (BBC World Service): Letter From Belgium
- 24 March 2004: 'Mole' (LP 'We Shall All Be Healed') 4AD
- 08 April 2004: 'Cotton (LP - We Shall All Be Healed)' (4AD)
- April 2004 (FSK): Cotton (CD - We Shall All Be Healed) 4AD
- 28 December 2004 (Rob Da Bank): 'Your Belgian Things (CD-We Shall All Be Healed)' (4AD) FF #46