Top Ten Albums of 2011 - #08
The Decemberists' The King is Dead
Editor's Note: This is the 3rd in a quasi-weekly series of reviews marking my favorite ten albums of 2011. New reviews go up every weekend through the end of the year.
Colin warned us that this album was going to be something different. He wasn't kidding. This acoustically-driven bit of folksy Americana is the second half of the one-two punch that started with "The Hazards of Love." If you're looking for epic songs about being swallowed by a whale, you're going to be disappointed in this album. And at first, that's where I was. Usually I go to The Decemberists when I'm in the mood for something different, but this entire album is pretty radio-friendly. SiriusXM Radio won't stop playing tracks from it.
The only problem with whale-proportioned tales is their size. Listening to "Picaresque" is almost exhausting (even though I mean that in a good way). But "The King is Dead" is a breezy 40 minutes of music that feels more like a walk in the park than a pursuit of Moby Dick.
The outtakes from this album have just been released as an EP entitled "Long Live the King," and they're pretty stellar too. "Burying Davy" shows up to prove that the band hasn't lost their edge.
Album highlight: I was afraid I wouldn't hear an accordion on this album - thank you, "Rox in the Box."
Colin warned us that this album was going to be something different. He wasn't kidding. This acoustically-driven bit of folksy Americana is the second half of the one-two punch that started with "The Hazards of Love." If you're looking for epic songs about being swallowed by a whale, you're going to be disappointed in this album. And at first, that's where I was. Usually I go to The Decemberists when I'm in the mood for something different, but this entire album is pretty radio-friendly. SiriusXM Radio won't stop playing tracks from it.
The only problem with whale-proportioned tales is their size. Listening to "Picaresque" is almost exhausting (even though I mean that in a good way). But "The King is Dead" is a breezy 40 minutes of music that feels more like a walk in the park than a pursuit of Moby Dick.
The outtakes from this album have just been released as an EP entitled "Long Live the King," and they're pretty stellar too. "Burying Davy" shows up to prove that the band hasn't lost their edge.
Album highlight: I was afraid I wouldn't hear an accordion on this album - thank you, "Rox in the Box."
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