When you're a kid, you need distractions from all of the: boredom, bad romance and bad parenting that afflict you. Everything seems to loom much larger then, so if you don't have anything to cling to you can feel overwhelmed. That's the general conceit of "The Legend of Chavo Guerrero," a propulsive effort that's our first taste of the Mountain Goats' upcoming "wrestling album" Beat the Champ. In this case, the specter of John Darnielle's abusive stepfather returns to wreak all sorts of havoc. He lets a young Darnielle down every chance he gets and openly mocks his hero Chavo Guerrero, a member of the distinguished Guerrero wrestling family. The louder he screams the further Darnielle retreats into the blue light of a luchador broadcast. "Look high, it's my last hope, Chavo Guerrero coming off the top rope," Darnielle sweetly wavers during the chorus as his acoustic guitar and Jon Wurster's drums lock into place. As fake as wrestling is, there's a real joy to it that we all could use; regardless of age.
(Beat the Champ is the Mountain Goats' first album since 2012's stellar Transcendental Youth and it's out April 7 in North America, April 13 in Europe, and April 3 in Australia/New Zealand, through Merge. For an explanation of the album you can check out Darnielle's Tumblr. Finally, the band's announced a tour to promote Beat the Champ and you can find the dates after the jump.)
Mountain Goats Dates:
1/24-25: San Francisco, CA - Sketchfest
4/2 Nashville, TN: Mercy Lounge
4/3 Asheville, NC: The Grey Eagle
4/4 Savannah, GA: The Jinx
4/7 Chapel Hill, NC: The Cat’s Cradle
4/8 Washington, DC: 9:30 Club
4/9 New York, NY: Webster Hall
4/11-12 New York, NY: City Winery
4/13 Philadelphia, PA: Union Transfer
4/14 Boston, MA: House of Blues
4/16 Cincinnati, OH: Bogart’s
4/17 Detroit, MI: Majestic Theatre
4/18 Chicago, IL: Vic Theatre
4/19 Minneapolis, MN: Cedar Cultural Theatre
4/21 Louisville, KY: Headliners
4/22 Columbus, OH: Wexner Center
4/23 Chicago, IL: Mr. Small’s Theatre
5/8-10 Atlanta, GA: Shaky Knees Festival
5/26 Denver, CO: Gothic Theatre
5/27 Salt Lake City, UT: Urban Lounge
5/29 Seattle, WA: The Showbox
5/30 Portland, OR: Wonder Ballroom
6/1 San Francisco, CA: The Fillmore
6/3 Los Angeles, CA: Mayan Theater
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