The Decemberists - "The King Is Dead" Album Review.

They're people in this world who have no problem fighting for a band's honor. There isn't another band who has fans quite like The Decemeberists. Which is quite fitting for a band with a very mundane sound. Well, mundane might not be the best way to describe it.The bands sound isn't boring. I guess what I'm trying to convey is that the bands sound is mediocre. Nothing strikes me as interesting in the slightest. So how does that effect the new album? Well not so well.

"The King Is Dead" is not a bad album. I think this is one of those instances of listener preference. I think on a good day I might actually like the sound of this band. So when I talk a bunch of trash about it, I want you to take it from a stand point from someone who could enjoy this album at a different time. The album is boring. I'm not saying that because its slow. There are songs on this album that are up beat and will get you moving. The song structure is so stock that it effects the overall sound of the album. I feel like I've heard all of these songs on a country station before. Nothing really sticks out with the vocals. They're borderline annoying at times and the female backing is used in such a boring way that sometimes you don't even notice shes singing.

I'm a big fan of the acoustic guitar. It using it has the potential to give your music a really unique sound. That's not the case here. The guitar in fact might blend too well with the music. Maybe that was by design, but it that's the case they should have made that a more uniform decision. Which brings me to my biggest complaint about this album. I can't decide if its more country sounding or more Irish sounding. I feel like you could transplant the vocalist with a drunken Irishman and get a better effect. 

Not everything is bad. The song "January Hymn" is really good. Its perhaps the most unique song on the album. It would have been great if more of them had that similar sound. The song "This Is Why We Fight" has a very epic sound to it. I could see it used in any western during a griping montage. Its also the only song that I remember hearing an electric guitar and it adds a lot to the sound. The album also has one of the most fitting end tracks I've heard on an album this year. Seriously, if you listen to the album do it in one sitting and the ending will making a lot more sense in context.

"The King Is Dead" is an album that just didn't do much for me personally. Its an interesting album with a lot of elements that I feel would be better suited to other listeners. I almost feel like I shouldn't rate the album because of this fact. Its not fair for me to put a number on something that in another time I could like. So "The King is Dead" gets a insert your own number here out of 5.

Track list:
1. "Don't Carry It All"
2. "Calamity Song"
3. "Rise to Me"
4. "Rox in the Box"
5. "January Hymn"
6. "Down by the Water"
7. "All Arise!"
8. "June Hymn"
9. "This Is Why We Fight"
10. "Dear Avery"

"Down By The Water"


"January Hymn"