337) The Decemberists - The King Is Dead

We are in rare territory a request for an artist I know. I remember hearing The Crane Wife and really enjoying it but for some reason I have never listened to any of The Decemberists other records, don’t know why, can I go with the stupidity card again?

On first listen I am vaguely reminded of early REM up to Out Of Time period and on reading up Peter Buck guests on three tracks, almost as if I know what I’m talking about, let’s not go there.

Buck is on the opener, Don’t Carry It All but this starts with a harmonica, which is not fair because that’s a weakness of mine, lovely shuffling rhythms throughout and the harmonica keeps reappearing, surprise, I like it.  Calamity Song could be on an REM album with Buck’s guitar at its nimbly best and Down By the Water lead vocalist Colin Meloy and guest vocalist, the wonderful Gillian  Welch, weld together perfectly and that harmonica is back, it’s a song to enrich your life, stop reading, listen and hopefully come back.

Welch appears on several tracks, her vocals always welcome and with added violin on Rox in the Box it’s one of those songs that has you tapping your foot and thinking of possibly The Waterboys Fisherman Blues, well to this ear it does. Meloy can carry the songs as well without Welch he has a clear voice with just the right amount of warmth.

This is country in many aspects with acoustic, violin and honky-tonk piano, see All Arise as a perfect example of how it’s done.

January Hymn and June Hymn are simple but beautiful and I have read that Meloy is a huge Smiths fan, not hearing that on this record except maybe This is Why We Fight, you could see Marr coming up with a tune like this and he is no stranger to a harmonica, a slight change of pace but hugely enjoyable.

Dear Avery ends the record mainly acoustic with Welch back.  Seemingly The Decemberists had been becoming more complex with each album, and this was a decision to strip it right back, they achieved this in spades.

This is a lovely record.

7.5/10

GIVE IT A STREAM: Down By The Water