By shelz.
After two colossal concept albums, The Decemberists have pared the music down to its simplest form for their 6th studio album, The King is Dead. The album is an organic blend of folk, rock and country music evocative of swinging doors on white picket fences and the hollow sound of rain drops on tin barn roofs with deference to sonic muse’s the group holds dear. It’s not hard to catch the R.E.M. homage when Peter Buck is riding shotgun and the royal quietus of the title is most likely a nod to The Smiths. All sponging aside, The Decemberists have managed to embrace their idols without obvious imitation and create a riveting slice of Americana.
The construction is wonderfully thoughtful, combining tones and textures normally foreign to the themes they are presented with. “Calamity Song” is a sprightly, toe-tapping tune about the disaster that ensues when the world crumbles, millions die and the survivors create a gloomy, post-apocalyptic society. “Rise to Me” quietly considers a battle of wills epic enough to relate to the strength of a raging river over a loosely-knit, country foundation that whispers zydeco. The lithe layers of whining guitar flutter through with a frailty that hardly suggests power, but the juxtaposition is beautiful.
The group also displays their gift for melody on several tracks, most notably on “January Hymn.” A hazy melancholy of lost childhood love filters through snowy recollections of winter on a foundation of guitars backed by haunting wisps of atmospherics. It’s the prettiest song of the collection, along with its sister song, “June Hymn.” It’s more robust than “January Hymn” and its melody is just as great; its language just as picturesque and the memories it evokes just as crystal clear.
Peter Buck’s presence becomes obvious on “Down by the Water,” a song that channels the spirit of “The One I Love.” It’s not a carbon copy, but I do feel an overwhelming need to shout “Fiiiiiire” at certain points. The crew goes a little too literal with square dancing on “Rox in the Box.” It’s not lively enough to really play catalyst to a two step and comes off like a sleepy Charlie Daniels Band b-side. However, “All Arise!” with its pleading one night stand suggestions does conjure images of the honky tonk Watusi. The full bodied “This Is Why We Fight” is the most modern of the offerings, eschewing the roots aesthetic for an alternative rock angle. It’s unique in its surroundings but doesn’t seem out of place.
Even though you can consider The King Is Deada primer on musical minimalism in an age of bigger (and louder) is better, The Decemberists have succeeded in weaving an intricate web of ideas and sounds into a delightfully bucolic project. There are no murmurs of hipster pretension and you can check your history primers and dictionaries at the door as this album relies more on crafting emotion than spinning epic narratives. It’s easy on the ears, heavy on the heart and a great start for music’s new year.
The Decemberists – “Down by the Water”
The Decemberists Down By The Water
out of 5
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