Indie-folk band The Decemberists’ newly released album “The King is Dead” reveals a whole new experimental side of the beloved quintet.
Formed in 2000 the Portland-based band went straight to work on their 2001 self-released EP “5 Songs which was later re-issued by indie label Hush Records.
Since their 2001 EP, the band has released a slew of EPs and albums, forming a large repertoire of uniquely crafted songs and a large fan base as well. The band has gone through various lineup changes — with the exception of lead singer/songwriter extraordinaire Colin Meloy and the multi-talented musician Jenny Conlee. Fortunately, through all their changes the band has managed to retain their distinct folk sound that fans love.
Known for their often whimsical lyrical narratives and their instrument-laden melodies, The Decemeberists have made countless appearances on talk shows like Late Night with Conan O’Brian” and even faced off with “The Colbert Report” in a guitar competition. The band also performed in support of President Obama during his presidential campaign.
As their popularity and fan base grew the band’s tours grew as well. In 2005 The Decemberists signed with major record label Capitol Records and in 2007 the band toured with a full orchestra playing in such historic venues as the Hollywood Bowl.
The band’s sixth studio album “The King is Dead released last week, proves The Decemberists are a well-oiled machine. It’s a predominately upbeat record, ruled by acoustic guitar and harmonica. But the band pulls off their departure from their typical sound flawlessly.
The album has a much different sound and tone than their previous material. Meloy’s songs are still full of catchy, grandiose lyrics, but behind the folk lies a whole lot of country twang. The rich sounds of all the various instruments — hammond organs, accordions, acoustic guitars, harmonicas — and the lighter, less angsty rock tone shows that The Decemberists are capable of branching out.
Their efforts on this record have created an amazing album.
Their first single off of the album entitled Down by the Water” is a perfect culmination of The Decemberists’ typical folk sound and their new musical direction. It starts off with a strong drum intro which then is joined by a plethora of other instruments. As the song progresses especially during the choruses and the end of the song it’s easy to hear the bands biggest influence on this album — the country and western sounds made famous in the United States.
Next is “All Arise!” which is a definite nod to the honky-tonk sounds that originated in the U.S. The song might scare those that are afraid of country music because it dives right in with a fiddled intro but The Decemberists make the honky-tonk work. The song is full of country fiddle and piano but still reflects the band’s indie folk rock essence they are known for. It’s a solid track that is a definite must-hear on the record.
Another great song off “The King is Dead” is “Rox in the Box.” This song is another heavily country-influenced song sounding like an ode to the Charlie Daniels Band’s “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” and Irish jigs. Sounds odd but The Decemberists craft it in a way that the various elements of the song flow seamlessly with the story told by the lyrics. It’s catchy in a nursery rhyme kind of way and bound to have you picking up the lyrics and humming along in no time.
The Decemberists “The King is Dead” is a testament to the band’s talent both musically and lyrically. It proves the band is more than capable of stepping away from their typical sound and embracing a whole new world of music. For fans it might not sound like The Decemberists at first listen but the entire album still holds true to the band’s indie folk sound and inventive songwriting.
“The King is Dead” deserves to be added to your iTunes library.