Name: Jenny from Thebes
Brand: The Mountain Goats

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

MRG841LPC1

Colour

Yellow

Colour details

Half Yellow / Half Black Vinyl.

Discogs ID

[r28692277]

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: Yes

Format detail

Housed in Gatefold Sleeve.

Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2023-10-27

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

Cargo

Tax rate GB

Standard:20

UPC / Barcode

0673855084107

Total Cap

Yellow LP

MRG841CD

Extended format: No

Wallet with 16 Page Lyric booklet.

0673855084121

Artist

The Mountain Goats

Genre GB

Alternative / Modern

Label GB

Merge Records

The Mountain Goats are an American indie folk band formed in Claremont, California by singer-songwriter John Darnielle. Although initially a solo project, Darnielle has collaborated with various musicians over the years. In the 1990s, they gained recognition for their lo-fi home recordings and releases on cassette or vinyl formats. Since 2002, the band has recorded studio albums with a full lineup. Currently based in Durham, North Carolina.

Line-ups:
<ul>
<li>1991-1996: John Darnielle and Rachel Ware</li>
<li>2002-2007: John Darnielle and Peter Hughes</li>
<li>2007-2015: John Darnielle, Peter Hughes, Jon Wurster</li>
<li>2015-present: John Darnielle, Peter Hughes, Jon Wuster, Matt Douglas</li>
</ul>

Occasional members:
<ul>
<li>1991-1995: Sarah Arslanian, Amy Piatt, Rosanne Lindley</li>
<li>1995-present: Franklin Bruno, Erik Friedlander, John Vanderslice</li>
</ul>

Merge Records is an independent record label based in Durham, North Carolina. Founded in 1989 by Laura Ballance and Mac McCaughan, it started as a platform to release music from their band Superchunk and their friends' creations. Over the years, Merge Records has grown to include talented artists from all over the world, with some of their records even reaching the top of the Billboard music charts.
With its headquarters nestled in Durham, North Carolina, Merge Records has become a renowned name in the music industry. The label was established by Laura Ballance and Mac McCaughan back in 1989 with a vision to share their own musical endeavors as well as support fellow musicians within their circle.
What began as a humble endeavor quickly flourished into something much greater. Today, Merge Records boasts an impressive roster of artists spanning various genres and backgrounds. From indie rock to experimental pop, *Superchunk* paved the way for other talented musicians to join forces under this esteemed label's umbrella.

Jenny from Thebes began its life as many albums by the Mountain Goats do, with John Darnielle playing the piano until a lyric emerged. That lyric, “Jenny was a warrior / Jenny was a thief / Jenny hit the corner clinic begging for relief,” became “Jenny III,” a song which laid down a challenge he’d never taken up before: writing a sequel to one of his most beloved albums.

The Mountain Goats’ catalog is thick with recurring characters Jenny, who originally appears in the All Hail West Texas track bearing her name, as well as in “Straight Six” from Jam Eater Blues and Transcendental Youth side two jam “Night Light,” is one of these, someone who enters a song unexpectedly, pricking up the ears of fans who are keen on continuing the various narrative threads running through the Mountain Goats’ discography before vanishing into the mist. In these songs, Jenny is largely defined by her absence, and she is given that definition by other characters. She is running from something. These features are beguiling, both to the characters who’ve told her story so far and to the listener. They invite certain questions: Who is Jenny, really? What is she running from? Well, she’s a warrior and a thief, and, this being an album by the Mountain Goats, it’s a safe bet whatever she’s fleeing is something bad. Something catastrophically bad.

Jenny from Thebes is the story of Jenny, her southwestern ranch style house, the people for whom that house is a place of safety, and the west Texas town that is uncomfortable with its existence. It is a story about the individual and society, about safety and shelter and those who choose to provide care when nobody else will.

Recorded at Tulsa, Oklahoma’s legendary The Church Studio with Grammy-winning producer/engineer Trina Shoemaker, Jenny from Thebes is a lush collection of showtunes, pushing Darnielle as a vocalist and the Mountain Goats as a band, broadening their sonic palette once again by leaning into influences like Godspell, Jim Steinman, and The Cars.

Lifted by Matt Douglas’ horn and string arrangements, the dreamy guitar of Bully leader (and Bleed Out producer) Alicia Bognanno, and backing vocals from Kathy Valentine of The Go-Go’s and Matt Nathanson, Jenny from Thebes is a widescreen musical in scope, a melodrama of richly detailed characters and sweeping emotions.

Jenny from Thebes  

Music GB

Discover "Jenny from Thebes" by The Mountain Goats. A lush collection of showtunes on CD and LP formats from Merge Records.