With today’s release of “The King is Dead,” The Decemberists makes a successful return to its folk-rock roots – simple, indie and acoustic with help from some of music’s finest musicians.
Fans last heard from The Decemberists back in 2009 when the band took on a new approach releasing the electric and concept-driven “The Hazards of Love,” deterring away from its uniform indie folk-rock sound.
In reference to the making of “The Hazards of Love,” The Decemberists frontman and songwriter Colin Meloy said in the band’s press information, “Doing this album took a lot out of me, and I’m definitely curious what will come out now that I’ve gotten it out of my system.”
What came next was The Decemberists’ sixth studio album, “The King is Dead,” a beautifully simple yet musically rich compilation of folk, and at times, borderline country compositions, – capturing the true essence of the band’s musical abilities.
Since its 2001 self-released debut “Five Songs,” The Decemberists has released three studio albums under indie record labels and two on Capitol Records.
Although The Decemberists is now releasing “The King is Dead” as its third album under a major record label, this five-piece folk group has not lost its sense of true indie music.
Seven tracks on “The King is Dead,” including its first single “Down by the Water,” feature American folk favorite and Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter Gillian Welch.
Tracks such as “Rise to Me” and “Don’t Carry it All” feature Welch’s soothing vocals, accentuating those of Meloy to create a full and soulful sound.
Although its clever lyrics do speak to disastrous times, the music and vocals on “Calamity Song” with the help of R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck are the furthest thing from a calamity, clearly drawing inspiration from Buck’s previous musical background with R.E.M.
Both drawing from nostalgia, “January Hymn” takes listeners back to heartbreaking winter days, while “June Hymn” warmly paints a vivid picture of a past summer.
The contrasting music and lyrics of these two hymns flawlessly capture the two seasons’ cold and warm environments.
“The King is Dead” closes with “Dear Avery,” a bitter-sweet number that focuses more on Meloy’s lyrics and the combination of his and Welch’s vocals than instrumentation.
Through its combinations of harmonicas, banjos, fiddles, accordions, poetic lyrics and blues-esque vocals, The Decemberists have captured nothing but raw emotion and true musicianship.
Despite slight repetition on some of the tracks’ lyrics and slow tempos, “The King is Dead” showcases this band’s ability to turn the basic fundamentals of music into graceful and moving pieces of work.
Rating: 4.5/5