The sun is rising on the Decemberists again after several albums of sensational Broadway plots and operatic arrangements.
Half a decade later, the sun has reached its peak with The King Is Dead. The album is full of happy-go-lucky indie folk-rock without all the unnecessary clutter and tediousness that goes along with telling a complicated story.
The album in many ways is a continuation of the path the band was headed on during its first three albums. The songs are condensed narratives full of metaphors and characters that spring to life within their three- or four-minute duration.
The harmonica on The King Is Dead revives the northwestern folk roots in which the band originated but also lends itself to a fresh country sound that the group champions repeatedly. This quirkiness appeared in songs like “A Cautionary Tale” and “The Mariner’s Revenge Song” and the singularity is continued in “Rox In The Box,” a strong minstrelsy tune that proves once more the band isn’t going to restrict its creativity or direction.
Colin Meloy is a brilliant artist whose creative genius warrants praise, but his prominent role on the last two albums surpasses that of the equally important instrumental cast. Meloy seems to have captured the spotlight as the mastermind behind the band, but accordion solos and pedal steel add some much needed gusto.
R.E.M.’s Peter Buck came in and revamped the Decemberists’ swallowed gift of folk mastery. R.E.M. has more than proved itself as a lasting staple in the music world, and songs like “Down By The Water” and “Calamity Song” impress a similar sense of enduring greatness about The Decemberists.
The King Is Dead is the album fans have waited five years for and reminds them why they waited this long. It’s that refreshing — a shift from grandeur to understated simplicity.
