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The Decemberists‘ album The King Is Dead comes out January 18th, and I’ve officially decided I’m going to buy it. As Sarah Wardrop points out, the band is more influenced by a rootsy American sound on this album, straying from the folksy British style that they are known for. What does not change is the timeless nature of The Decemberists’ music. On The King Is Dead, the music is as literary and bucolic as ever, but instead of intertwined, grandiose tales made for the stage, the messages in the songs are more relatable – more humble.
But really, what makes this (and any, in my opinion) album great is the songwriting. The songs are simple enough to grab you on the first listen, unique enough to sound fresh, and good enough to make you want to revisit, which is what I’m going to go do right now. I really loved this on first listen, and can’t wait to spend more time with it. If you want to pre-order it, you can do that here. My favorites as of now are “Down By The Water”, “June Hymn”, and “Calamity Song”.
Listen to the album in full at NPR.
Related: The Decemberists – Down By The Water
