Dust off your fob watch, gather a group of merry comrades and crank your gramophone up to eleven, for The Decemberists are back with their latest studio album, ‘The King Is Dead’. The band last emerged in a grand form for their 2009 release, ‘The Hazards of Love’, an epic rock-opera of otherworldly historic tales, wrapped up with all the lyrical grandeur that lead singer Colin Meloy could muster. Luckily for the less theatrical members of their fanbase, the band have chiselled away their more indulgent side for ‘The King Is Dead’, opting instead for a stripped-back and reserved sound, bringing together every ounce of their folk-rock charm to form their most impressive record yet.
While the Portland-based band have made a name for themselves by going against the grain of convention, opting towards carefully-crafted tales of mariners, pantaloons and barrow-boys in place of the cut-throat progressive stance of the modern music scene, ‘The King Is Dead’ retreats to the humble simplicity of The Decemberists’ origins, embracing the core values of English folk against a newfound penchant for Americana. The retreat leaves room for Meloy’s emotional undercurrents to find their own legs, not crippled under the weight of the ever-expanding pomp and embellishment found on the band’s previous releases.
‘Rise To Me’ is Meloy’s first real pause for introspection: opening with subdued acoustic strokes and bold vocals, the band eventually layer on subtle contributions from the harmonica and slide guitar, culminating in a track which would sit comfortably in the tracklisting of modern Americana classics including Ryan Adam’s ‘Heartbreaker’ or even Neil Young’s ‘Harvest‘. ’Rise To Me’ is the first of three impressively restrained tracks on the album, followed by the coupled forces of ‘January Hymn’ and ‘June Hymn’. The latter is the humble tour de force of ‘The King Is Dead’, showcasing Meloy’s lyrical prowess as he conjures up distinct summer images, outshone only by the beautiful backing harmonies from fellow bandmate Jenny Conlee.
The inclusion of R.E.M.’s Peter Buck on guitar has done nothing but add to the already-accomplished sound of the band, and it’s easy to see his influence directly throughout the whole LP (even if he did only have a hand in three tracks). The album contains three upbeat numbers which could all easily act as stand-alone singles, whose only flaw is that they perhaps tie the line too closely between respectful tribute and mimicry. A case in point can be found with ‘This Is Why We Fight’: with its frantic electric fingerpicking and fist-clenching chorus, the impressive homage to R.E.M. might be slightly too convincing for the more purist among the band’s followers.
‘Down By The Water’ earns the title of lead single from the record, and with its pulsing chorus, creeping guitar hooks and delicate vocal tones from bluegrass veteran Gillian Welch it’s easy to see why. The track marks a stage in evolution for the band, where Meloy has finally realised his ambition of crafting songs which can be blasted out as stand-alone pieces, rather than being utilised as a framed unit of songs like the collective pieces in ‘Hazards Of Love’ and the band’s 2006 release, ‘The Crane Wife’. However, that is not to say that The Decemberists have completely done away with their role as travelling minstrels: ‘Rox In The Box’ is a lively sea shanty, where the band take their first real departure back into their own thematic past, weaving a distinct miner’s warning into the confines of Meloy’s stomp-inducing melodies.
Colin Meloy described ‘The King Is Dead’ as “an exercise in restraint”, but while some fans may mourn the loss of his fairytale songwriting, it is clear from the ten track album that The Decemberists are a band that shouldn’t be pigeonholed as an exercise in eccentricity. ‘The King Is Dead’ is an inspired and authentic record, bringing together the worlds of genuine Americana and heartfelt songwriting to form an impressive and mature departure from the band’s theatrical past.
‘The King Is Dead’ is released in the UK on January 17th through Rough Trade Records.
rating: 9/10
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