The Decemberists new album, "The King Is Dead"

 

I'll stand up for the band and the album.  Hey, they're just from down the road, either south or east.   Name one recent song that has the all-out emotion of This Is Why We Fight.  Then let me judge it.  I've got a couple of twenty-something kids, and they don't bring stuff like this around very often, in spite of what they may think about Arcade Fire.

 

I didn't hear too many five dollar words (trillium...gabardine...them's only worth a couple bucks).  References to Leda and Infinite Jest...realistically anyone who does not recognize these references had best familiarize themselves with Greek mythology (probably requisite for understanding half of prog lyrics, or at least band names, anyway ) and David Foster Wallace.  Still, only couple buck references.  Not saying I get even half of the allusions, but they are fairly obvious on this particular album.

 

 

 

What I like about the album is that it continues a fine tradition.  Neil Young/Nicollette Larson, Emmylou/Gram or even Emmylou/Mark.  And yes Ian & Sylvia.  As I said in my review, it's Gillian Welch that makes the album.  I liked her contribution such that I now have her first album, which by the way is pretty damned good. 

 

Even I would not argue it's prog, but it's certainly beautiful music.  But of course my ears have been listening to this sort of thing for 40 years and are inured to non-prog, though absolutely heartfelt, assaults.  It comes from the flank, like an invading army...the pedal steel, the harmonies, the crappy harmonica wails, the backwoods accordion.  To paraphrase Buck Owens, all we gotta do is act naturally.