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The 50 Best Songs of 2009

As part of PopMatters’ 20th anniversary, we are revisiting classic features. Travel back in time a decade ago to 2009, when indie rock was in its full ascendency,and hear the songs that soundtracked the era.

Music

The 60 Best Albums of 2009

PopMatters turns 20 years old this October and we're beginning to celebrate our history by taking you back in time a decade ago. Obama was in the White House and the musical times were very good indeed. Revisit 2009 through its best albums.

Music

The Mountain Goats Get Fantastic(al) for 'In League with Dragons'

The Mountain Goats create a complex and vibrant album that moves between worlds with In League with Dragons.

Justin Cober-Lake

Music

The Best Indie Rock of 2017

The indie rock genre is wide and unwieldy, but the musicians selected here share an awareness of one's place on the cultural-historical timeline.

Music

John Darnielle's 'Universal Harvester' Holds a Mystery Within a Mystery

Universal Harvester isn't what it looks like, but part of the fun and force come in finding out what it really, maybe is.

Books

The Mountain Goats Turn a Concert Into a Celebration of Survival

Sharing good times to help get through the bad with the Mountain Goats.

Music

Fact and Fiction: The Mountain Goats' John Darnielle on Wrestling and the Creative Process

The prolific songwriter and now acclaimed author John Darnielle tells PopMatters how he created his wrestling-themed album Beat the Champ, what he calls the Mountain Goats' "most musically interesting record by a country mile".

Interviews

Human Interaction Is Nailed Down in 'Wolf In White Van'

John Darnielle's debut novel is an exploration of self-reliance, pain, and acceptance. Isn't that enough?

Books

The 100 Best Albums of the 2000s: 80-61

In this next segment of PopMatters' look back on the music of the 2000s, we examine works by British electronic pioneers, Americana legends, and Armenian metal provocateurs.

Music

The Mountain Goats: 27 October 2012 - Chicago

The Mountain Goats end their Transcendental Youth tour on a triumphant note.

Reviews

Just Stay Alive: An Interview With John Darnielle of Mountain Goats

The Mountain Goats' John Darnielle, named by several as one of the greatest contemporary songwriters, reveals what happens behind the scenes for the new release Transcendental Youth, among many other topics.

Music

Merge Is Streaming the Mountain Goats' 'Transcendental Youth'

The latest Mountain Goats album 'Transcendental Youth' drops next week and, as is becoming traditional with indie rock, it's streaming in full this week.

Music

The Mountain Goats: All Eternals Deck

The ever-prolific and always compelling John Darnielle returns with another batch of songs haunted in ways both literal and metaphorical.

Jer Fairall

Music

The Extra Lens: Undercard

Franklin Bruno proves himself an integral part of this collaboration with John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats.

Music

Various Artists: Stroke: Songs for Chris Knox

Jeff Mangum, Yo La Tengo, Will Oldham, Stephin Merritt, the Mountain Goats, the late Jay Reatard, and dozens more pay tribute to one of the best songwriters no one has ever heard of -- and what a joy it is to listen to.

Music

Pop Ten

The 25 Best Classic Progressive Rock Albums

The 100 Greatest Alternative Singles of the '80s: Part 1: 100 - 81

Jackie Chan's 10 Best Films

The 100 Greatest Alternative Singles of the '80s: Part 5: 20 - 1

The 100 Greatest Alternative Singles of the '80s: Part 3: 60 - 41

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Mixed Media

Collapse Expand Mixed Media

PM Picks

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The Mountain Goats Get Fantastic(al) for 'In League with Dragons'

The Mountain Goats create a complex and vibrant album that moves between worlds with In League with Dragons.

The Best Indie Rock of 2017

The indie rock genre is wide and unwieldy, but the musicians selected here share an awareness of one's place on the cultural-historical timeline.

John Darnielle's 'Universal Harvester' Holds a Mystery Within a Mystery

Universal Harvester isn't what it looks like, but part of the fun and force come in finding out what it really, maybe is.

The Mountain Goats Turn a Concert Into a Celebration of Survival

Sharing good times to help get through the bad with the Mountain Goats.

Fact and Fiction: The Mountain Goats' John Darnielle on Wrestling and the Creative Process

The prolific songwriter and now acclaimed author John Darnielle tells PopMatters how he created his wrestling-themed album Beat the Champ, what he calls the Mountain Goats' "most musically interesting record by a country mile".

Human Interaction Is Nailed Down in 'Wolf In White Van'

John Darnielle's debut novel is an exploration of self-reliance, pain, and acceptance. Isn't that enough?

The 100 Best Albums of the 2000s: 80-61

In this next segment of PopMatters' look back on the music of the 2000s, we examine works by British electronic pioneers, Americana legends, and Armenian metal provocateurs.

The Mountain Goats: 27 October 2012 - Chicago

The Mountain Goats end their Transcendental Youth tour on a triumphant note.

Just Stay Alive: An Interview With John Darnielle of Mountain Goats

The Mountain Goats' John Darnielle, named by several as one of the greatest contemporary songwriters, reveals what happens behind the scenes for the new release Transcendental Youth, among many other topics.

Merge Is Streaming the Mountain Goats' 'Transcendental Youth'

The latest Mountain Goats album 'Transcendental Youth' drops next week and, as is becoming traditional with indie rock, it's streaming in full this week.

The Mountain Goats: All Eternals Deck

The ever-prolific and always compelling John Darnielle returns with another batch of songs haunted in ways both literal and metaphorical.

The Extra Lens: Undercard

Franklin Bruno proves himself an integral part of this collaboration with John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats.

Various Artists: Stroke: Songs for Chris Knox

Jeff Mangum, Yo La Tengo, Will Oldham, Stephin Merritt, the Mountain Goats, the late Jay Reatard, and dozens more pay tribute to one of the best songwriters no one has ever heard of -- and what a joy it is to listen to.

Rebelling Against the Rebellion: British Punk's Second Coming

The Ugly and Unlistenable Death Spiral of Eddie Van Halen

Pinto Bennett Dishes the Lonely Blues on "I Like Singin' the Blues in a Honky Tonk Song" (premiere)

"She's Older Now" Is a Previously Unreleased Tune From Roger C. Reale and Rue Morgue, Featuring Mick Ronson (premiere)

Pinto Bennett Dishes the Lonely Blues on "I Like Singin' the Blues in a Honky Tonk Song" (premiere)

Deep Tan Amplify the Groove on New Single "Shimmer" (premiere)

Signe Marie Rustad Finds Companionship In "A Thousand Lights" (premiere + interview)

Andrea von Kampen Crafts Reflective, Picturesque Folk on 'Twilight & Evening Bell' (EP stream) (premiere)

John Salaway Celebrates "The Beauty That Surrounds Us" (premiere)

Nobody's Girl Sparks New Life into Old Classic, "Merry Christmas, Baby" (premiere)

The Drunken Hearts Roll Up Their Sleeves for Wild Ride on 'Wheels of the City' (premiere + interview)

Broke Royals Have an Encounter With "Saint Luxury" (premiere)

As part of PopMatters’ 20th anniversary, we are revisiting classic features. Travel back in time a decade ago to 2009, when indie rock was in its full ascendency,and hear the songs that soundtracked the era.

PopMatters turns 20 years old this October and we're beginning to celebrate our history by taking you back in time a decade ago. Obama was in the White House and the musical times were very good indeed. Revisit 2009 through its best albums.

The Mountain Goats create a complex and vibrant album that moves between worlds with In League with Dragons.

The indie rock genre is wide and unwieldy, but the musicians selected here share an awareness of one's place on the cultural-historical timeline.

Universal Harvester isn't what it looks like, but part of the fun and force come in finding out what it really, maybe is.

Sharing good times to help get through the bad with the Mountain Goats.

The prolific songwriter and now acclaimed author John Darnielle tells PopMatters how he created his wrestling-themed album Beat the Champ, what he calls the Mountain Goats' "most musically interesting record by a country mile".

John Darnielle's debut novel is an exploration of self-reliance, pain, and acceptance. Isn't that enough?

In this next segment of PopMatters' look back on the music of the 2000s, we examine works by British electronic pioneers, Americana legends, and Armenian metal provocateurs.

The 2002 release All Hail West Texas marked a turning point for the Mountain Goats, as John Darnielle went from underground home recording cult hero to wider acclaim. With this week's reissue of All Hail West Texas, we review essential tracks from the Mountain Goats' back catalog.

The Mountain Goats end their Transcendental Youth tour on a triumphant note.

The Mountain Goats' John Darnielle, named by several as one of the greatest contemporary songwriters, reveals what happens behind the scenes for the new release Transcendental Youth, among many other topics.

The latest Mountain Goats album 'Transcendental Youth' drops next week and, as is becoming traditional with indie rock, it's streaming in full this week.

The ever-prolific and always compelling John Darnielle returns with another batch of songs haunted in ways both literal and metaphorical.

Franklin Bruno proves himself an integral part of this collaboration with John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats.

Jeff Mangum, Yo La Tengo, Will Oldham, Stephin Merritt, the Mountain Goats, the late Jay Reatard, and dozens more pay tribute to one of the best songwriters no one has ever heard of -- and what a joy it is to listen to.