In League with Dragons
In League With Dragons is the seventeenth studio album by the Mountain Goats, released on April 26, 2019, on Merge Records.[2][3] Inspired by tabletop role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, the album has been described as a "partial rock opera" with influences from noir literature.[2][4]
| In League With Dragons | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 26, 2019 | |||
| Recorded | 2018–2019 | |||
| Genre | Alternative rock[1] | |||
| Length | 48:22 | |||
| Label | Merge | |||
| Producer | Owen Pallett | |||
| The Mountain Goats chronology | ||||
| ||||
Release
The album was announced on January 28, 2019. The announcement was accompanied by a live streaming event on Facebook and Twitch, hosted by Wizards of the Coast. The band also released three singles from the album: "Younger",[3] "Cadaver Sniffing Dog",[5] and "Sicilian Crest". The release of "Sicilian Crest" was accompanied by an hour-long discussion about the making of the song by frontman John Darnielle and podcaster Joseph Fink, on the podcast I Only Listen to the Mountain Goats; season two of the podcast will ultimately consist of a track-by-track discussion of each song on the album.[6]
The album was released on April 26, 2019, on Merge Records. Special editions of the album come with an additional 7-inch record, Sentries in the Ambush EP, featuring two non-album tracks.
Track listing
All tracks are written by John Darnielle.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Done Bleeding" | 4:38 |
| 2. | "Younger" | 5:52 |
| 3. | "Passaic 1975" | 3:55 |
| 4. | "Clemency for the Wizard King" | 2:47 |
| 5. | "Possum by Night" | 2:59 |
| 6. | "In League with Dragons" | 3:11 |
| 7. | "Doc Gooden" | 4:19 |
| 8. | "Going Invisible 2" | 3:05 |
| 9. | "Waylon Jennings Live!" | 3:15 |
| 10. | "Cadaver Sniffing Dog" | 3:55 |
| 11. | "An Antidote for Strychnine" | 6:04 |
| 12. | "Sicilian Crest" | 4:22 |
| Total length: | 48:22 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Sentries in the Ambush" | 2:48 |
| 14. | "Divided Sky Lane" | 3:38 |
Reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 77/100[7] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| Consequence of Sound | B-[9] |
| The Guardian | |
| Pitchfork | 7.4/10 [11] |
| Rolling Stone |  |
At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 77 (based on 14 reviews) indicating "generally favorable reviews."[7]
Personnel
- John Darnielle – vocals, piano, lyrics, composition
- Peter Hughes – bass
- Jon Wurster – drums, percussion
- Matt Douglas – woodwinds, guitars, vocals
- Thom Gill – guitars
- Johnny Spence – organ, Memorymoog, piano, Wurlitzer, synth
- Bram Gielen – guitars, piano, synth
- Owen Pallett – piano, organ, guitar, production
- Dan Dugmore – pedal steel
- Robert Bailey – vocal arrangements, vocals
- Everett Drake – vocals
- Jason Eskridge – vocals
- Michael Mishaw – vocals
- The Macedonian Radio Symphonic Orchestra – strings
- strings arranged by Owen Pallett, conducted by Oleg Kondratenko, engineered by Giorgi Hristovski with Atanas Babaleski
- Matt Ross-Spang – engineering
- Shani Gandhi – mixing
- Brent Lambert – mastering
- Elton D'Souza – artwork
- Daniel Murphy – design
Charts
| Chart (2019) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Digital Albums (ARIA)[13] | 33 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[14] | 65 |
| US Billboard 200[15] | 110 |
| US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[16] | 9 |
| US Folk Albums (Billboard)[17] | 5 |
| US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[18] | 16 |
References
- "In League with Dragons". Bandcamp. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
- Kreps, Daniel (January 28, 2019). "Mountain Goats Create 'Dragon Noir' Genre With New Album 'In League With Dragons'". Rolling Stone. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved January 29, 2019.
- Bote, Joshua (January 28, 2019). "The Mountain Goats Announces Dungeons & Dragons-Inspired Album". NPR. Retrieved January 29, 2019.
- Schatz, Lake (January 28, 2019). "The Mountain Goats announce new album, In League with Dragons, share 'Younger': Stream". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved January 29, 2019.
- Martin, Clare. "The Mountain Goats Will Bloody up Your Day with Their New Single "Cadaver Sniffing Dog"". Paste. Paste Magazine. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
- "I Only Listen to the Mountain Goats Season 2". I Only Listen to the Mountain Goats. Nightvale Presents. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
- In League with Dragons by The Mountain Goats, retrieved June 8, 2019
- "In League with Dragons - The Mountain Goats | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
- Clark, Tyler (April 24, 2019). "The Mountain Goats Prove Adept Dungeon Masters on In League with Dragons". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
- Hann, Michael (April 26, 2019). "Mountain Goats: In League With Dragons review – deliciously detailed indie rock". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
- "The Mountain Goats: In League With Dragons". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
- Dolan, Jon; Dolan, Jon (April 26, 2019). "Review: Mountain Goats Conjure Sad Wizards and Other Fading Heroes on 'In League With Dragons'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
- "ARIA Australian Top 50 Digital Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. May 6, 2019. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
- "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
- "The Mountain Goats Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 7, 2019.
- "The Mountain Goats Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
- "The Mountain Goats Chart History (Top Americana/Folk Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
- "The Mountain Goats Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 29, 2019.