Hi, I'm Joseph Fink, and I only listen to the Mountain Goats is the show where I talk with John

Darniel of the band The Mountain Goats about what it means to be a fan, to be an artist,

and, as most of us are are to be both at once. We're back for a second year,

but this time we're trying something different and a little risky.

About a week and a half ago you sent an email being like, hey, I have an idea that's

going to make our lives more difficult, but I think will be really interesting.

The thing is that it makes everybody else's life more difficult except mine.

This year, we will be discussing the brand new Mountain Goats album in League with Dragons, an album that was still in the process of being made when these conversations were recorded.

Neither one of us really knows.

We'll be talking about the songs themselves

and about the performances that you've heard,

but the final product could sound pretty different.

We are dealing with literally an album that isn't even done yet.

This will be the first time I'm talking about any of it

to anybody for the most part.

We will talk through the new album,

track by track.

Each episode will include the original home demo of the song, so that we can follow the work all the way through the final version released to the public.

Recorded over several months during the production of the album, this season gives you an unprecedented conversation

about the creative process while it is still happening.

I hear people talk about and I see them live bloggette saying I'm writing an right and it's like I don't do that when I'm starting I have to be in this amorphous place of just writing because I write all the time with many of my lyrics I'm in the same situation as a reader I just write what write. I don't usually say let me write about

this. I write a bunch of songs that go here, go there, who knows what they feel like? And then sometimes

...