Sweeping The Nation — So now we've covered the best tracks of the year so far on a month by month basis, let's move on to the longform stuff. Feel free to remind us of these come the end of the year when something else from these six months overtakes the lot. Algi... more info

Stereogum — Against Me! recently played an intimate show for House Of Strombo, the new web video series from CBC host George Stroumboulopoulos, and towards the end of their set, Laura Jane Grace took a moment to cover a song that she's been particularly into rec... more info

Stereogum — Right now, the Mountain Goats are touring behind their fantastic new album Goths . They have been one of the best live bands out there for a long, long time, and if that's not reason enough to go see them, consider the remote possibility that a B-52... more info

LargeHeartedBoy — The Mountain Goats' Goths is another impressive album (this one guitarless) by John Darnielle and company. Cayetana's New Kind of Normal, Helium's Ends With And, Land of Talk's Life After Youth, and Wavves's You're Welcome are other new releases... more info

JamBase — Matisyahu, The Mountain Goats and the 'Singles' film soundtrack anniversary reissue highlight this week's new album releases. more info

Aquarium Drunkard — Since forming the Mountain Goats in 1991, John Darnielle has sung about remarkable people: wounded couples, Texas death metal aficionados, doo wop singers, professional wrestlers, horror authors, heretics, prophets, long-dead classical pianists, and ... more info

DrownedInSound — This album is a love letter for anyone and everyone that holds the underground to their heart more info

LargeHeartedBoy — Jeffrey Tambor talked to Signature and Paste about his new memoir Are You Anybody?. NPR Music is streaming the new Mountain Goats album Goths. Miriam Suzanne talked to Vol. 1 Brooklyn about her novel Riding Sidesaddle*. Stream a new song... more info

Stereogum — A couple of months ago, John Darnielle published a book about darkness. Universal Harvester is either the Mountain Goats frontman's second novel or his third, depending on how you define his entirely fictional (and great) 33 1/3 book about Black Sabb... more info

Stereogum — One of the great things about news of a new Mountain Goats album is finding out what the concept is going to be. All Mountain Goats albums are concept albums, and the last few concepts have been especially inspired. The band's last album, 2015's Bea... more info