Less than two years after releasing their ambitious concept record Hazards of Love, The Decemberists return with a pleasant surprise: an album of tight, stripped down Americana. Known for their sometimes long winded literate indie rock, The King is Dead sees The Decemberists take a swing at the alt-country sound ushered in by the likes of Whiskey Town and Uncle Tupelo, in addition to Harvest area Neil Young, as harmonicas, pedal steel, and fiddles can be found all over the album. Songs like “Don’t Carry It All”, “All Arise!”, and “Rox in the Box” are all soaked in the rich twang the alt country genre has been known for since the early 90s. The country stylings do not completely dominate the album though as their first single “Down by the Water” is led by a jangle pop guitar melody that sounds eerily similar to REM’s “The One I Love” until you realize that REM guitarist Peter Buck guests on the album. Buck’s contributions can also be heard on the upbeat stand out “Calamity Song”, a song that would not at all feel out of place on an 80’s college rock radio rotation. It’s always refreshing when a band that has already honed its sound to go in a different direction to mix things up. In The King is Dead, The Decemberists deliver a cohesive album that gives newcomers an accessible introduction and rewards faithful listeners who may have tired of the band’s lengthy indulgences.
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