Few artists can spin desperation into joyous song the way indie-folk laureate John Darnielle can. The 14th album by The Mountain Goats is a dark affair even by his standards, as it explores a medley of characters on the brink of collapse yet still finds a life-affirming light at the end of the tunnel. Upbeat acoustic strummers like “Cry for Judas” sit beside simmering alt-country meditations like “Until I Am Whole”, with horn arrangements courtesy of Matthew E. White lending everything an anthemic, bittersweet quality.