John Darnielle began making music as the frontman of indie rock band The Mountain Goats in 1991. The band has since gained a cult following, and Darnielle has been hailed for his eloquent songwriting as one of indie rock's greatest lyricists. The Mountain Goats' newest release is All Eternals Deck, and you can see them on tour in the US and Europe this spring.

JESSE THORN: It's The Sound of Young America, I'm Jesse Thorn. My guest, John Darnielle, is both a member of and pretty much all of the band The Mountain Goats. For 20 years now he's been writing and recording intimate songs that are intimate in unusual ways for a singer/songwriter. Often written in the third person; often taking a form that's as much of a short story as a confessional. His dozens of albums have earned him a rabid following. His latest record is called All Eternals Deck. Let's hear a little bit of a song from that album, this is For Charles Bronson.

John Darnielle, welcome to The Sound of Young America.

JOHN DARNIELLE: Thank you so much.

Click here for a full transcript of this interview.

The Sound of Young America was in Alberta, Canada for the Calgary Folk Music Festival, four days of performances and workshops from folk, indie, rock, country, and blues musicians.

The singer-songwriter Annie Clark, performing as St. Vincent, sat down with us before performing at the festival. She got her start playing guitar for The Polyphonic Spree and in Sufjan Stevens' touring band, then struck out on her own, playing almost every instrument on her debut album, Marry Me. In 2008, Clark won the PLUG Independent Music award for Female Artist of the Year.

Clark's most recent album, Actor, is a striking blend of beautiful vocals, orchestration, and distorted guitar.