Wrestling, in all its permutations—with the world, in the mind, on the canvas—is the theme of The Mountain Goats’ 15th studio album, and it comes across as more of a close-quarters, drawn-out grapple than a flying body slam. Since the early lo-fi experimental days of the MGs, founder and frontman John Darnielle has made his weird folk bacon purveying endless layers of meaning. Beat The Champ’s narrative thread unspools with the feel of a staged musical (“Fire Editorial,” with its Broadway jazz dynamics, jumps out), but each song stands on its own, from the upbeat and heroic “The Legend of Chavo Guerrero” to the violent snapshots of the hauntingly quiet “Hair Match” (“Cheap electric razor from the thrifty down the street/ Two guys down around your ankles so you’ll stay put in your seat…”). Bassist Peter Hughes and drummer Jon Wurster also lend a solid and seamless backing to Darnielle’s acoustic guitars and piano, making this not just an expertly crafted Goats album, but an impeccably recorded one, too.