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Chicago Songs to Ease the Sear/Willis Tower Transition
So long, Sears Tower. While the iconic Chicago skyscraper still stands tall (the tallest in the U.S., in fact), its name does not.... read more
Found in: Blogs, PlaylistClassic Paste: The Best of Issues 16-18 (June - November 2005)
(JUST A FEW MORE REASONS TO HELP SAVE PASTE)Next week, I'll celebrate my 6th anniversary at this magazine. When I started as Paste's second-ever intern on June 1, 2003, we were still a tiny operation. Only five of us were in the office full-time: publisher Nick Purdy, editor Josh Jackson, assistant editor Jason Killingsworth, myself (who would go on to become associate editor) and my intern cohort, Steven Bevilaqua. Other important folks—like senior/film editor and future Paste president Tim Porter, design director José Reyes, and future associate publisher Joe Kirk—were working part-time, since Paste couldn't yet support a full staff. Back then, we were in our old... read more
Found in: Blogs, List of the DayThe Mountain Goats, Black Kids, Tilly and the Wall, more play Harvest of Hope this weekend
Although festivals such as Langerado and Pemberton have been cancelled, the culture of $200 tickets and $8 beers will still be going full-throttle this year. Some are even going so far as to predict that, like the movie industry, festivals will be a welcome diversion to the depressing economic climate this year.... read more
Found in: Music, NewsDance the Pain Away: 5 Songs to Assuage Your Bailout Blues
In 2005, Mountain Goats frontman John Darnielle released a terrific little song called “Dance Music,” which chronicled the harrowing experience of growing up. The point of the song was that, when times get really hard, it’s easy to find escapist comfort in dance music. In moments of chaos, Darnielle suggests, you can use the simple pleasures of a dance track to drown out the noise—“so this is what the volume knob’s for,” he sings in one memorable line. We love this sentiment. Lately, dance music is practically all we listen to. And perhaps it’s no coincidence that 2008 has been a... read more
Found in: Blogs, Ctrl-VMountain Goats announce fall tour with Kaki King
There are several very distinct types of Mountain Goats fans. There's that kid at the show who sits at the back table, alone, writing in his poetry book and making loose sketches of dragons while occasionally whispering his request for "Fall Of The Star High School Running Back." Then there's the guy who you think might have been that quiet TA in the contemporary novel class you took who you never thought you'd see spazzing out to "Dance Music." And lastly, our favorite here at Paste is your friend who dug up his own fifth of Hood River gin and... read more
Found in: Concerts, NewsThe Mountain Goats: Heretic Pride
The Mountain Goats’ John Darnielle is a... read more
Found in: Music, ReviewsCatching Up With... The Mountain Goats
"The way I talk transcribes so badly," says Mountain Goats frontman John Darnielle. "You will find out. My sentences are very, very long, and you don't know where to put any punctuation marks. I just wind up sounding stupid. This erudite-yet-modest singer-songwriter... read more
Found in: Music, FeaturesMountain Goats proudly release album, head out on tour
For the Mountain Goats fan who has everything: the group’s new album, Heretic Pride, debuts Feb. 19 on 4AD, and lead singer John Darnielle’s 33 1/3 book on the Black Sabbath album Master of Reality will be available on April 15. You shouldn’t be special enough to have either one yet, though you can download a track from Pride ("Sax Rohmer #1"), or request a sample from the book at sabbathsampler@yahoo.com (hat tip, Pitchfork). According to the book description, "John Darnielle describes Master of Reality in the voice of a fifteen-year-old boy being held in an adolescent psychiatric center in... read more
Found in: Music, NewsMountain Goats lay out plans for next album
It's been more than a year since The Mountain Goats' last album came out, which in John Darnielle's wildly prolific world is quite some time. But the band, as much as it is a band, laid out its plans for the next album on its website earlier today. The album, titled Heretic Pride, will be out on February 19 next year. Why not release it now? "We are really excited about this album, and we wish it were out right now, but there is a law against releasing albums in December unless you are Queen," read the website entry. "Any... read more
Found in: Music, NewsThe Mountain Goats - We Shall All Be Healed
The Mountain Goats’ approach has changed very little since 1995. That’s to say, singer-songwriter John Darnielle’s approach has changed very little. In 12 releases—three 12-inches, three singles compilations, an EP, and five full-length albums—the songs have remained doggedly simple... read more
Found in: Music, Reviews
The 20 Best Gadgets of the Decade…
The 17 Best Romantic Comedies This Decade
The 50 Best Albums of the Decade…
The 25 Best Movie Performances of the…
Blind Pilot - The Story I Heard
Kim Taylor - Days Like this
Gregory Alan Isakov - The Moon Song
Punch Brothers - Punch Brothers at CMJ
Anya Marina - Whatever You Like
David Bazan - Hard To Be
