As if the yawning gaps didn’t give reason enough to ignore a near dead blog, the blunt wit grown duller by routine leaves a lumpy mass of some questionable critique. Luckily, the “bold and brilliant sun” of rich story telling in the nautically concerned, lexically complex (yet, now more accessible through a heavier dose of hooks) alt-country-indie-rock of The Decemberists– The King is Dead will more than make up for my ineptitude.
Radio friendly “This is Why We Fight” and feel good, helping hand anthem “Don’t Carry It All” provide a pretty jumping point before pressing into a bit more weirdness. Next stop should be “June Hymn” which I can’t help but well up to. For when “day is breaking a panoply of song” you too will fall into this ode to the interweaving of our lives and the constant of the natural world.
On balance, it doesn’t push the boundaries opting to draw them in and allow more visitors into their territory. Give it a listen and learn a new vocabulary word.
7/10
Listen to the album here
The Indy Review 