On January 11th, The Decemberists will release The King is Dead, the follow-up to their vastly disappointing 2009 effort, a defiantly proggy, completely forgettable album called The Hazards of Love. So far, things seem promising, at least in that they’ve apparently ditched the prog thing and shifted their focus to the more folk-inspired sound frontman Colin Meloy has always seemed more suited to and more comfortable with. Last night on Conan, they did “Down By the Water,” with an assist from the great Gillian Welch. These guys have become derisive shorthand for the evils of NPR-approved, exceedingly vanilla indie rock lately, but this is fine song. Can’t wait to hear the rest. [Audio Perv]
If by “fine” you mean early-middle period REM-lite guitars at their least compelling, coupled with a complete and utter lack of mystery, then sure. Fine. Grrr, Decemberists.
First off Jeff K, you have lost your mind. These two bands, (REM and The Decemberists), cannot be compared to each other, they are not even in the same genre. You comment is no different that the people who cannot find any other music to write so they begin looking for bands who have similar chord progressions that they can sue. This sounds nothing like REM and you are insane. Secondly, Audio Perv, The Hazards of Love was so far from disappointing it is not funny. I am still enjoying the album as much as I was when it was first released. The problem is that people do not know how to understand fictional music when they hear it. Musically and lyrically it was one of the best albums that I have heard in a long time.
Hey, now that the record is out, and it’s known that Peter Buck was in the studio with them, and they are covering R.E.M. in concert am I still insane?
I *definitely* did not have Klingman in the “L writer who can hold a grudge the longest” pool.
Ha. If it gives you proper context Mark, I am visiting family in Oregon for a bit, staying in my teenage room.