Return of The Decemberists

The last time we heard from Colin Meloy, he was narrating the Decemberists' folkloric rock opera "Hazards of Love", a multi-layered, complex composition detailing the love affair between a woman and a mythical forest dweller over 17 interwoven tracks. In contrast to the intricate, multifaceted, and somewhat ambitious "Hazards of Love", The Decemberists' new album, "The King is Dead", is a stripped-down dose of straight-forward alt-country.

Upon my first listen, I was struck by how multiple songs reminded me of one of my favorite childhood albums, "Green" by R.E.M. This sensation was soon explained by the liner notes listing R.E.M.'s Peter Buck as an instrumentalist on 3 of the 10 tracks. Also contributing to "The King is Dead" is Gillian Welch, the long-time singer-songwriter whose signature bluegrass voice is a perfect complement to Meloy throughout the album.

"The King is Dead" starts off quickly with "Don't Carry It All", an upbeat country song with the theme of lifting up your fellow man, a familiar concept to a band said to list communism as one of its inspirations. Next is "Calamity Song", an REM-esque fast-paced pop song about the catastrophical end of the world as we know it (no pun unintended), featuring Buck on 12-string guitar. This is followed by the record's 1st ballad, the peaceful "Rise to Me", which speaks of fending off threats and adversity with the soft, harmonic Meloy-Welch chorus of, "I am going to stand my ground, they rise to me and I'll blow them down". Another interesting song is "Rox in the Box" which is highlighted by an interlude of bouzouki and violin that is very reminiscent of the traditional Irish folk music I've grown to love. Ballad #2 is is the elegant "January Hymn", a remorseful, longing ode to a lost love. Then comes the the most deliberate rock song on "The King is Dead", "Down By the Water", a track accentuated by Buck's electric guitar and Meloy's forlorn harmonica. The remainder of the album is delightfully more of the same: easy rock, country twang, and gentle harmonies.

Taken as a whole, "The King is Dead" is a work of reflective, folky, country music that is pleasing from beginning to end. The Decemberists' use of the fiddle, banjo, mandolin, pedal steal, piano, and violin creates a sincerely rustic tone that I've found repeatedly appealing. And, though "The King is Dead" is more of a "pop" record than the Decemberists' fans may be used to, Meloy still works in enough abstract lyrics to keep the hipsters from becoming too disenfranchised. I've only listened to this disc 4 or 5 times, but it keeps getting better with each successive spin, and has provided me with a pacifying soundtrack to this bitter-cold Midwestern winter.