After the explosion of ambition that was The Hazards of Love, the band saw fit to make their next album a bit more accessible (a feeling that some fans and critics shared strongly). So, in 2011, the band released their 6th full studio album, The King is Dead, a collection of tracks that is both the bands most accessible and a sign that the band was not only scaling back their theatrics, but also embracing the sounds of early Decemberists and even Colin Meloy's first band, Tarkio.
The album also shows strong influences from bands like REM (the guitarist actually plays on a few cuts here) and my personal favorite 60's folk rock god, Neil Young. In summary, this album is a complete departure from the sounds that the band was working with on their last album, a choice that hurts or helps the album depending on how much you enjoyed Hazards.
For me, this album is a solid set of songs that often showcase the band's tight playing and Colin's true talent for writing memorable songs. However, there is a real lack of ambition on this album that I just can't shake; the instrumentals backing up this album are good, and sometimes great, but they don't have half the personality that previous Decemberists had, even the less savory cuts from Hazards. Luckily, despite the instrumentals lacking that Decemberists edge, the vocals and melodies are still incredibly strong.
My favorite moments from this album are probably the quietest, "January Hymn" and "Rise To Me" being prime examples. These tracks put their best foot forward and despite being some of the slowest moments on the album, they are easily the most enthralling.
That's not to say there aren't good upbeat tracks here; the opener is simply lush with harmonica and a gloriously sung chorus, and the mid album "All Arise!" is a countrified slice of perfection. But it's the penultimate track "This Is Why We Fight" that truly steals the show here, mostly because it is easily the most geeky, i.e. Decemberists feeling track on the entire album, and it is simply a fantastic track.
My main problem with this album is not that it isn't good, in fact, I think it is a great album, but at times it feels more like a Colin Meloy solo album than a full fledged Decemberists album.
8.3/10
Well, that concludes my Decemberists Discography series of reviews. Now I just have to wait a week for the band's new album to drop, and I couldn't be more excited! Stay tuned for a full review of that LP and hopefully other, non-discography based reviews coming soon!
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