durdencommatyler wrote:Kevin Davis and I don't often disagree. But when we do it's all the way, man.
The Decemberists are one of those bands where I absolutely love about 85% of everything they've done, but the remaining 15% I just unrepentantly hate. Very little middle ground. Can't really come up with a good explanation for why, except to surmise that maybe the theatrical nature of their songs comes across as precious and annoying if the songs don't work for me on some other level. Thankfully that theatricality seems to be dwindling away a bit -- "King is Dead" had an "everyday listening" vibe to it whose plainness was a welcome break from the typical "alternate Decemberists universe" of rogues and pirates and outdated words from the 18th century. Judging from what I've heard the new material tends that direction as well, though I hope we see more electric guitar and less harmonica this time out.
Yeah, that's probably the main difference for us, then. Bring on the pirates and ghosts and shape-shifting rapists and chimney sweeps.
The King is Dead was a very welcome break especially after Hazards. But I'd be sad if that's what they become from here on out. I'm holding out hope that, at the end of their career, King will be somewhat of an outlier.
Oh, don't get me wrong -- that stuff was part of why I fell in love with the Decemberists, and I strongly doubt they will ever release another record that I like as well as their first two (which basically play like the vanity projects of a collegiate theater company). But I can't imagine them pushing that element of their songwriting any further than "Hazards," and across the band's career I think Meloy's best songs ("California One," "Red Right Ankle," "On the Bus Mall") have always been the ones that have mixed a dash of sentiment in with the whimsy, and to that effect I find the songs on "The King is Dead" sound sharper and more durable for having tipped the scales a bit. Even the songs from those sessions that sound more traditionally "Decemberisty" -- namely "E. Watson" and "Burying Davy" -- sound rote not only compared to most of the rest of "The King is Dead," but more importantly to songs from earlier records that laid those templates. They were wise to omit those songs from the record (even though I like them both better than a couple tracks that made the cut). I think Meloy will always have a fondness for the antique (and even on "King" it is evident, if downplayed), but ultimately I am more intrigued by how he can evolve than how he can stay the same. I fear the latter is just going to result in a bunch of songs that sound okay but not as good as "Billy Liar."
I'm all about evolution. I certainly don't want them to remain stagnant, whatever they do. I just feel like those songs that you find so durable and endearing, I find generic and... easy (for lack of a better word). With the exceptions of Rox in the Box and the Hymns, the songs on King could have been written by a myriad other bands. I like those songs. But there's not much about them that's all together Decemberists-y. Other than Meloy's voice, obviously. It doesn't sound like a band expanding or growing, it sounds like a band not knowing what to do next so they chose the easiest, most accessible possible collection.
I listen to Long Live the King way more than The King is Dead these days. I think E. Watson, Foregone, Burying Davy and I4U are better than almost everything on King is Dead AND give me all the elements I love about the Decemberists. But none of them really feel like they belong on any of the previous albums. They have their own sound but still give me that ineffable quality that makes them Decemberists songs.
Having said all of that, I goddamn LOVE The King is Dead. It's still better than most of the other albums that I heard that came out that year.
I just preordered this bitch (two copies actually, one for my brother for Christmas), along with Sleater Kinney's new album. Doing my part for the people of Portland today.
Kevin Davis wrote:I just preordered this bitch (two copies actually, one for my brother for Christmas), along with Sleater Kinney's new album. Doing my part for the people of Portland today.
I preordered two copies as well. One on vinyl and one on CD. Because Decemberists.
And, yeah, more Foregone would not be a bad thing at all. I'd love a drive down that highway in a 2015 Decembersits.
Heathen wrote:So I guess it's not really all the way.
But I was careful to qualify that it was "of the albums I heard." Which, duh, because how could I compare it to things I haven't heard. But what I should have added was that I think I only heard about a dozen albums that came out that year. And of those dozen TKID is one of only two or three that I listen to regularly.
Just skimmed wikipedia. Looks like I've heard 13 albums from 2011. One of which I just heard for the first time a few months ago. TKID is probably middle of the pack. So I overstated. It's not better than most of the albums that came out that year. But it's better than a few of the ones I heard.
Kevin Davis wrote:I just preordered this bitch (two copies actually, one for my brother for Christmas), along with Sleater Kinney's new album. Doing my part for the people of Portland today.
I've listened to the whole thing a few times now and I just could not be more thrilled. After such a long (for them) hiatus, this band far exceeded my expectations. This is a really great album full of very different influences and sounds. There's quite a bit of bluegrass, which I love, and a peppering return of that Colin Meloy wryness and whimsy.
Trying to decide if I want to stip shit up with a song by song breakdown. If I do, I'll spoiler tag it so it doesn't bother everyone. But I need to give it at least one more complete listen before I'm ready to start thinking about writing about these songs in any detail.
Anyway, thanks Decemberists. It's been along time. I'm glad to have you back.
i like most of it quite a bit, the first 5 songs and the last one especially right now. the rest needs to grow on me i think.
'better not wake the baby' and 'easy come and easy go' might be skipped forever, though. right now those two might be some of the most annoying decemberist songs in the catalog to me.
edit: i already changed my mind about 'better not wake the baby', its not that bad. i should not talk about songs
before listening to them a few times.
Mike wrote:i like most of it quite a bit, the first 5 songs and the last one especially right now. the rest needs to grow on me i think.
'better not wake the baby' and 'easy come and easy go' might be skipped forever, though. right now those two might be some of the most annoying decemberist songs in the catalog to me.
That's funny, those are two of my favorites right now!
