The Mountain Goats are an American, Durham, North CarolinaâÂÂbased band, led by American singer-songwriter John Darnielle. Darnielle began recording in 1991, and is known for his highly literate lyrics and (until 2002) his lo-fi recording style. The Mountain Goats' albums have featured a constantly changing line-up of musicians, with Darnielle the only constant; when performing live, the band commonly comprises only Darnielle backed by Peter Hughes on bass guitar and Jon Wurster playing drums. Their discography consists of 23 studio albums, four compilation albums, four live albums, six cassette-based releases, four demo albums, 18 solo extended plays, seven collaborative extended plays, and 24 singles. In addition, three unreleased albums circulate amongst collectors, and multiple unreleased or live-only tracks circulate as well.