As we close in on the end of 2025, year end list season is in full swing, and one person who’s picks we always look forward to seeing is The Mountain Goats frontman John Darnielle. He’s shared his favorite albums of 2025 on his Bluesky, and as usual it’s an eclectic list with some metal represented. See it below.

The Mountain Goats released a new “full-on musical” album featuring The Repacements’ Tommy Stinson, harpist Mikaela Davis, and Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, Through This Fire Across From Peter Balkan, this year, which you can stream below. Darnielle also released an annotated lyric book, This Year: 365 Songs Annotated: A Book of Days, earlier this month.

Through This Fire Across From Peter Balkan by the Mountain Goats

JOHN DARNEILLE’S FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 2025

Blood Vulture – Die Close
visionary neo-grunge, perfect album

Pool Kids – Easier Said Than Done
this is how it feels

Vernon Reid – Hoodoo Telemetry
endlessly rewarding

Coroner – Dissonance Theory
how do they still go this hard?

Maybe Happy Ending – Original Broadway Cast Recording
dots all the i’s

Messa – The Spin
melodic goth metal long game

Flock of Dimes – The Life You SaveGiant Claw – Decadent Stress Chamber
Ferraro with feeling & for the dance floor

Auri – III – Candles and Beginnings
if she sings on a record then that record makes the list

Gully Boys – s/t
should be playing amphitheaters

Darnielle says that Indigo De Souza‘s “Heartthrob” is his song of the year, and writes, “I put together a ranked top 10 for 2025 because everybody’s always like ‘unranked, it’s a big list’ and I gotta go the other way,” adding, “It was a great year for music! Music is the best!”

He also writes:

I listened to more jazz in 2025 than any other type of music, I suspect — that Miles Davis quartet in Paris got a lot of play in the car, I went on a Lester Young kick, I dug deep on Mingus, I play a lot of John Scofield & Manhattan Transfer

I believe in phases, I love a good phase, I like to contemplate what phases the next year will bring — piano music? old new age tapes? my money for ’26 + JD’s listening habits is on early jazz, ever since reading Coming Through Slaughter I’ve been wanting to wade into my neck

anyway those are some year-end-list adjacent thoughts /thread

The Mountain Goats recently announced a new 2026 tour, including a show at Woodstock, NY’s Bearsville Theater on May 16. See all dates below.

THE MOUNTAIN GOATS: 2026 TOUR DATES
Apr 11, 2026 Meow Nui Wellington, NZ
Apr 13, 2026 Metro Sydney, AU
Apr 14, 2026 The Princess Theatre Brisbane, AU
Apr 16, 2026 The Gov Adelaide, AU
Apr 17, 2026 The Forum Theatre Melbourne, AU
Apr 19, 2026 Freo.Social Perth, AU
Apr 21, 2026 Blue Note Hawaii Honolulu, HI (early show)
Apr 21, 2026 Blue Note Hawaii Honolulu, HI (late show)
May 1, 2026 – May 3, 2026 Sing Us Home Philadelphia, PA
May 15, 2026 The Fillmore Silver Spring Silver Spring, MD
May 16, 2026 Bearsville Theater Woodstock, NY
May 17, 2026 College Street Music Hall New Haven, CT
May 19, 2026 Citizens House of Blues Boston, MA
May 21, 2026 Newport Music Hall Columbus, OH
May 22, 2026 Bell’s Beer Garden Kalamazoo, MI
May 23, 2026 The Vogue Theatre Indianapolis, IN
May 24, 2026 Delmar Hall St. Louis, MO
May 26, 2026 Brooklyn Bowl Nashville Nashville, TN
May 28, 2026 Manchester Music Hall Lexington, KY
May 29, 2026 Neighborhood Theatre Charlotte, NC
May 30, 2026 40 Watt Club Athens, GA
Oct 5, 2026 Kuudes Linja Helsinki, FI *
Oct 7, 2026 Nalen Stockholm, SE *
Oct 8, 2026 Vulkan Arena Oslo, NO *
Oct 10, 2026 Pumpehuset Copenhagen, DK *
Oct 11, 2026 Metropol Berlin, DE
Oct 13, 2026 De Centrale Ghent, BE *
Oct 14, 2026 TivoliVredenburg Utrecht, NL *
Oct 16, 2026 Albert Hall Manchester, UK *
Oct 18, 2026 Vicar Street Dublin, IE *
Oct 19, 2026 Barrowland Ballroom Glasgow, UK *
Oct 21, 2026 Hackney Church London, UK *
Oct 22, 2026 Hackney Church London, UK *
Oct 23, 2026 Bristol Beacon Bristol, UK *

* with Craig Finn & The Band of Forgiveness