Their name might not ring a bell, but to a certain strain of indie music fan, The Mountain Goats are royalty. Lead singer-songwriter John Darnielle has a generationally brilliant way with a pen and guitar — New York Times readers voted him to No. 70 on the publication’s list of the 100 best living American songwriters earlier this year — and he’s accumulated a passionate fanbase over the course of his three and a half decades and two dozens studio albums.
But some may still consider their music an acquired taste. Darnielle is blessed with one of those great, expressive, polarizing voices that some people love and some people can’t listen to. The group’s songs and their titles are often full of obscure references or recount fever-dream-like narratives. And their frequently upbeat music regularly delves into the depressing as soon as you scratch the lyrical surface.
The band — who, for a long time, only counted Darnielle as sole permanent member, but have expanded in recent years — released their latest album “Days” just 10 days ago and several songs from its tracklist were played at their Sunday night show at Mr. Smalls Theatre in Millvale.
For example, they opened the same way the album does, with “Song for Layne Staley,” an ode to the late Alice in Chains lead vocalist. The album overall was inspired by moments and memories of the 1990s, and it was palpable in the sonic landscape as well.
Before “Charlie Sheen Reaches Out to the Feds,” Darnielle told the story behind the song (actor Charlie Sheen viewing a gory Japanese film, believing it was real, and calling the FBI to report it). “Gore movies were actually huge in Pennsylvania,” he asserted to cheers, citing George A. Romero and Tom Savini as “very important” to the genre of films.
The song is a funny but anthemic tune from Charlie Sheen’s perspective that got a surprisingly large percentage of the crowd singing along.
They also played the album’s wistful title track, as well as the deceptively cheery “Last Day.” “Everyone thinks this song is very positive and I’m like, ‘cool, I’m glad I wrote it in a major key.’” Darnielle joked before launching into the almost church-like tune.
And then there’s “Candlebox,” a fictional song about a band attempting to hit it big by opening for ’90s alt rock band Candlebox. Thanks to this song, the band will, in fact, be opening for Candlebox on two dates of their fall tour.
In the midst of the newer songs, they reached back into their massive discography. Darnielle played a couple of mid-set songs on his own, swinging like a pendulum between the fast and shouty “Choked Out” to the whispery fragility of “Wait For You” and the twirly, genuinely uplifting “Stars Around Her.”
“The Pittsburgh crowd tends to get the obscure middle set,” he joked to thunderous cheers.
But even casual fans knew the last two songs of the set, the forceful “This Year” (teachers about to welcome students back, take note of this one: the refrain is “I am gonna make it through this year if it kills me”) and viral divorce anthem “No Children,” the danciest song I can think of about hating your spouse.
Their four-song encore was kind of a sampler, featuring new album song “Shallow Grave” as well as favorites from the early 2000s, “See America Right” and cathartic fan favorite “Up The Wolves” to end the night.
Whether live, on vinyl or on your streaming service of choice, The Mountain Goats are one of those truly singular acts worth checking out. Darnielle’s lyrics are so quirky yet evocative, and he uses his voice to paint their vivid scenes. Plus, if you don’t like one of their albums, they’ve got plenty more to try.