Anonymous four and John Darnielle, right, of the Mountain Goats at Merkin Concert Hall
UPDATE: Audio link to full concert added
Hear the full concert by clicking here.
Who knew John Darnielle had a secret wish to work with Anonymous 4, the a cappella quartet that specializes in music of the 12th through 15th centuries? The Ecstatic Music Festival, created by New Amsterdam Records‘ Judd Greenstein, gave him a shot, and the result was Transcendental Youth, a song cycle presented Saturday, March 24, at Merkin Concert Hall.
Darnielle, the writer and singer who performs as the Mountain Goats (and for this evening, he was the lone Goat) got the “why” question out of the way first.
As he was getting ready to finish college, his dad gave him a gift — a CD of A4’s 1993 An English Ladymass— an intense listen, he said, and one he returned to over and over as he coped with the more mundane stresses of completing two thesis papers (in English and Classics).
The Mountain Goats set list is after the jump.
John Darnielle (Photo © 2010, Steven P. Marsh)
Will You Miss Me When I'm Gone? 