The Decemberists - The King Is Dead

The Decemberists' new album never claimed to be a grand epic as the bands earlier works. Right from the get-go, we were promised a very laid back, folk-ridden record. No epic prog masterpieces, not sea shanties, just tunes. And this album keeps good on that promise - 40 minutes of catchy, folk tunes that you know the words to by the time the chorus comes around the 2nd time. It is a pretty damn good album, that's for sure. Down By The Water and January Hymn are of course great tracks. Other highlights are Rox In The Box, Rise To Me, June Hymn, Dear Avery, and my favorite track, This Is Why We Fight. It sounds pretty dead-on The Smiths, more so than anything else they've done. I'm not a huge Smiths fan, but I do dig their sound, and this song works very well. So while this new album might be missing the grandness of the past, it's a very good album.

8/10