The Decemberists - "The King Is Dead"
Sometimes today’s indie music scene seems so contrived. There is this band or that band offering a unique sound but it never seems genuine, nor does it seem the band can continue generating interest past a couple of record releases. The Decemberists happily do not fall into this category. They are the real deal. The band explores folk music and pushes the genre’s limits with each successive release. Perhaps even more importantly they are one of the most literate bands of recent memory writing songs with excessively clever lyrics that conjures vivid and transformative imagery. They challenge as much as entertain their fans.
Their most recent release The King is Dead is somewhat of a departure from their previous two. Whereas 2009’s Hazards of Love was high concept, their latest is a collection of straight forward, simple folk tunes so it’s unexpected when The King is Dead offers greater cohesion than the band’s earlier forays into the conceptual. The Decemberists’ 2011 release has been billed as pure Americana, and a slight departure from their earlier records which were more representative of British folk influences. This seems a slight over statement. Certainly contributions from R.E.M.’s Peter Buck playing on three tracks and Gillian Welch singing on seven, make it easier to understand how the label of American Folk was applied to this record. This record, however, still seems more reminiscent of earlier Billy Bragg. Perhaps the moniker of Americana was conjured because musically there seems to be a more traditional country and bluegrass vibe to the album or maybe because it was recorded in a converted Oregon barn.
The King is Dead features primarily mid-tempo songs tinged with melancholy, yet catchy enough to stick with you after a single listen. This is a striped down sparse record featuring quick hits of the brilliance we have come to expect from The Decemberists. The simple straight forward approach of the first track (‘Don’t Carry It All’) weaves through the entire record. While the British folk influence is still obvious, Peter Buck’s playing certainly gives the album a sound reminiscent of early R.E.M., think Murmur. If you are looking for additional references, the record also suggests early Neil Young, Camper Van Beethoven and even shades of Paul Westerberg. In the end ,however, the album still seems like something you would find on a juke box in a local pub in some English village.
The stand out tracks on this album are the simple and direct opener, ‘Don’t Carry It All’, ‘Down by the Water’ and the musically interesting- slightly warped sounding ‘Rox in the Box’. Even with these stand outs there are a couple of stumbles. When the album falters it is primarily because tracks such as ‘All Arise!’ and ‘January Hymn’ sound more contrived than one expects from The Decemberists, a generally natural and organic sounding band. My least favorite tracks are.
Ultimately The Decemberists will prevail and continue thrilling their fans because they are musicians who play and write with an innate passion and zeal often absent in the assembly line of over-produced music heard so often on the radio today. Moreover they are an indie band not afraid to change course with each successive album. The King is Dead is a departure from The Decemberists’ standard epics to one of efficient brilliance. It feels like a modern classic. I can’t wait to hear what they play for us next.
