The Decemberists new album, "The King Is Dead"
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Topic: The Decemberists new album, "The King Is Dead"
Posted By: rushaholic
Subject: The Decemberists new album, "The King Is Dead"
Date Posted: December 01 2010 at 06:44
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All right guys - new album by The Decemberists called The King Is Dead. You can preorder now for a release on January 18, 2011. Check out the options - cool books and deluxe editions http://decemberists.com/ - http://decemberists.com/ |
Replies:
Posted By: The Truth
Date Posted: December 01 2010 at 10:34
Can't wait. 
------------- http://blindpoetrecords.bandcamp.com/" rel="nofollow">  
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Posted By: Epignosis
Date Posted: December 01 2010 at 12:16
I can. I won't have any spending money until Jan. 22.  ------------- https://epignosis.bandcamp.com/album/a-month-of-sundays" rel="nofollow - https://epignosis.bandcamp.com/album/a-month-of-sundays |
The Truth wrote:Posted By: avestin
Date Posted: December 01 2010 at 12:21
Here's the band's announcement:
------------- http://hangingsounds.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow - Hanging Sounds http://www.progarchives.com/ProgRockShopping.asp" rel="nofollow - PA Index of prog music vendors |
Posted By: JROCHA
Date Posted: December 03 2010 at 17:52
| Im going to see them in Kansas City in Feb, cant wait for the new album! |
Posted By: Synchestra
Date Posted: December 04 2010 at 14:35
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Really excited to see what direction they take with this one, the new song is pretty cool ------------- 'Yeah, thats.. Whatever you're talking about for ya' - Zapp brannigan |
Posted By: The Quiet One
Date Posted: December 04 2010 at 14:57
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Wasn't very keen with the new song, but still will probably buy it when it appears on the CD shops. |
Posted By: The Neck Romancer
Date Posted: December 04 2010 at 15:20
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That package looks bitchen. ------------- 
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Posted By: Proletariat
Date Posted: December 04 2010 at 20:36
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im going to see them in seattle in febuary! love them!
this new cd is supposed to be their roots rock and country side... hmmm... ------------- who hiccuped endlessly trying to giggle but wound up with a sob |
Posted By: Proletariat
Date Posted: December 04 2010 at 20:41
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Colin Meloy sayed in an interview I read that this CD would focous on americana and that there would be minimal english influences... so im going to assume its a step back from the tain/craine wife/hazards of love ------------- who hiccuped endlessly trying to giggle but wound up with a sob |
Posted By: WalterDigsTunes
Date Posted: December 04 2010 at 20:42
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This is unfortunate, a tragedy and an absolute insult to the art form once known as music. These hapless nobodies need to give it up. The last thing we need is more reprehensible modern shlock polluting the planet. Every second wasted on their worthless nonsense is a moment that could have been devoted to real music. Let's hope this is be the last we hear from these talentless goons. |
Posted By: Proletariat
Date Posted: December 04 2010 at 20:55
I hope that our differing opinions dont cause animosity, love you!
 silly as always... thank you ------------- who hiccuped endlessly trying to giggle but wound up with a sob |
Posted By: Westsiyeed
Date Posted: December 05 2010 at 18:28
| I absolutely loved The Hazards of Love, but got a feeling if the single released is an indication of the album, I'm not going to like it as much. Looking forward to it though. |
Posted By: Neu!mann
Date Posted: December 07 2010 at 09:19
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The new song sounds like it's being pushed as a single, and might thus be one of the more straightforward / commercial cuts from the new album...
No one should be expecting anything quite so invigorating as The Hazards of Love, but the 'Americana' angle could be interesting. Will we hear something like The Cowboy's Revenge Song..? Abe Lincoln, The Barrel Boy..? ------------- "we can change the world without anyone noticing the difference" - Franco Falsini |
Posted By: Proletariat
Date Posted: January 03 2011 at 16:56
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The new album is now free streaming on the NPR website here http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=132436422&m=132438624" rel="nofollow - http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=132436422&m=132438624
im only a few songs in but the country and americana is obvious. This is quite anthemic but not proggy at all... interestng change for this band ------------- who hiccuped endlessly trying to giggle but wound up with a sob |
Posted By: harmonium.ro
Date Posted: January 03 2011 at 17:19
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Yeah, a few people here are going to be disappointed. (cue http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=58724" rel="nofollow - Do The Decemberists have people fooled? ) |
Posted By: Epignosis
Date Posted: January 03 2011 at 17:35
Not me.  I enjoy country music (grew up on it) and this so far is pretty good. Not prog though, that's for sure (and okay!). Just in the same way Jethro Tull was a sometimes prog band, so it is with The Decemberists.  ------------- https://epignosis.bandcamp.com/album/a-month-of-sundays" rel="nofollow - https://epignosis.bandcamp.com/album/a-month-of-sundays |
Posted By: ClemofNazareth
Date Posted: January 03 2011 at 17:38
For all you guys who are bitching about the new album not sounding like 'The Tain' or 'The Crane Wife' or 'Hazards of Love' or Dream Theater or whatever - do you understand what the term progressive rock actually means? The whole point is for artists to stretch themselves and explore new ways to communicate their musical vision, not to just continue cranking out the same thing with new song titles and covers ad nausea. We already have plenty of AOR and pop acts to do that for us. 
Although I must admit I found Walt's little rant kind of humorous.....
------------- "Peace is the only battle worth waging." Albert Camus |
Posted By: Proletariat
Date Posted: January 03 2011 at 17:39
My thoughts exactly!
prog or no Meloy is a fantastic songwriter and all the musitians are top notch! ------------- who hiccuped endlessly trying to giggle but wound up with a sob |
Posted By: harmonium.ro
Date Posted: January 03 2011 at 17:41
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Nobody is bitching, Bob. Not yet.  |
Posted By: Epignosis
Date Posted: January 03 2011 at 18:29
Alex, Mia and Vincent are in synch with "This is Why We Fight!" 
------------- https://epignosis.bandcamp.com/album/a-month-of-sundays" rel="nofollow - https://epignosis.bandcamp.com/album/a-month-of-sundays |
Posted By: harmonium.ro
Date Posted: January 03 2011 at 18:42
They match about 95% of the rock music that I play 
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Posted By: TheProgtologist
Date Posted: January 03 2011 at 18:44
I am.
 I'm very disappointed in their new album,nothing really special at all. -------------  |
Posted By: harmonium.ro
Date Posted: January 03 2011 at 18:45
^ well, you're retired, so your argument is invalid 
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Posted By: rushaholic
Date Posted: January 03 2011 at 19:46
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I really like it. I understand that Peter Buck (R.E.M.) plays guitar on several tracks and that the album is heavily influenced by R.E.M. (a band that I have always liked). Love the harmonica and accordion. Looking forward to hearing the album on a nice system and not streaming from NPR - nice to hear it though. |
Posted By: Pekka
Date Posted: January 03 2011 at 23:21
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Seems like a great start to a new music year. After just one listen I can't say if I'll like it as much as the previous two, but this sounded really really good anyway. ------------- http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=42652" rel="nofollow - It's on PA! 
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Posted By: jammun
Date Posted: January 07 2011 at 17:39
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I for one am looking forward to this. I think it is a good thing that they do not immediately try to top Hazards. As those of you with a sense of musical history will recall, the incessant need to make the next album bigger and badder and more outrageous than the previous led to the downfall of many a great prog band.
So good for The Decemberists. Here's a link to their recent version of the Dead's Row Jimmy, which apparently is not on the new album, though I'm assuming it's representative of what we'll hear. Sounds great to me.
http://www.melophobe.com/news/grateful-deads-row-jimmy-redone-by-the-decemberists/" rel="nofollow - http://www.melophobe.com/news/grateful-deads-row-jimmy-redone-by-the-decemberists/
------------- Can you tell me where we're headin'? Lincoln County Road or Armageddon. |
Posted By: natewait
Date Posted: January 08 2011 at 14:22
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I try to keep an open mind when it comes to music and specifically bands trying out different things.... But, I just can't get into this album. It is a real shame because Hazards of Love is probably one of my 25 favorite all-time albums and I was really getting into The Crane Wife as well. Oh well. You can't win them all, I suppose. ------------- Please check out my Progressive Music Blog: http://leviathanprog.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow - The Leviathan . |
Posted By: rushaholic
Date Posted: January 14 2011 at 17:02
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My special edition arrived today. Love the artwork in the book. CD sounds great (still like Hazards of Love and The Crane Wife much better though). This one will take a while to appreciate I think. |
Posted By: jammun
Date Posted: January 14 2011 at 18:04
------------- Can you tell me where we're headin'? Lincoln County Road or Armageddon. |
Posted By: rushaholic
Date Posted: January 15 2011 at 08:01
| Not proggy at all but still very enjoyable. |
Posted By: Mr ProgFreak
Date Posted: January 16 2011 at 03:11
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I really like it. I also like how they make sure that you have a chance to listen to it before you buy, so that you don't build up expectations of another prog epic. I really like the Americana angle (anyone who likes this album - check out Bright Eyes - Cassadaga). Maybe the next album will be an epic again - who knows, let them surprise us! ------------- https://tagyourmusic.org/users/Mike" rel="nofollow - https://tagyourmusic.org/users/Mike |
Posted By: ClemofNazareth
Date Posted: January 16 2011 at 15:09
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Okay, I finally got to hear the entire album today. Yup, not prog by any stretch of the imagination. That said, I have a feeling I'm going to like this one, and thoughts kept popping into my head for a review the whole time I listened to the record, which is great because I've sort of had writer's block for a couple months now.
I very clearly remember buying a vinyl copy of the R.E.M. EP 'Chronic Town' when it came out in 1982, and I remember how I felt when I listened to it for the first time. I felt exactly the same way when I played 'the King is Dead', and frankly it was a little creepy.
If nothing else I have to say that Colin Meloy refuses to be pigeonholed into one sound, he takes risks, and he realizes that constant change is a necessary ingredient for success. Even if I don't end up loving this one as much as most of the prior albums I am quite confident that the record will at least keep my appetite whetted for whatever comes next.
------------- "Peace is the only battle worth waging." Albert Camus |
Posted By: jammun
Date Posted: January 20 2011 at 10:52
I went looking for this CD yesterday. There are no longer music stores in my immediate area, but everywhere I checked that still sells CD's did not have it. So my wife was at Starbucks this morning and picked it up for me  ------------- Can you tell me where we're headin'? Lincoln County Road or Armageddon. |
Posted By: jammun
Date Posted: January 20 2011 at 20:00
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Gave this a first listen. Good Lord, I'm not so sure we do not have yet another concept album here, albeit of a simpler sort. There's a story being told...the same one Dylan, Neil Young, The Band, and occasionally Springsteen have been telling over the decades. More later...this is a stunningly beautiful piece of music. ------------- Can you tell me where we're headin'? Lincoln County Road or Armageddon. |
Posted By: Andy Webb
Date Posted: January 20 2011 at 20:29
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I must say I thought it wasn't their best-- at all. It had to much country-pop/nashville influence for my taste. ------------- http://ow.ly/8ymqg" rel="nofollow">  
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Posted By: jammun
Date Posted: January 20 2011 at 21:38
I would guess that if you are not a fan of say, Neil Young (Harvest-era), or maybe Springsteen (The River) or The Band (The Band), or Fairport/Richard Thompson, then this would not be a favorite. Not to mention R.E.M., who I never really liked, but I suppose if they had sounded like this...
But then, as I've mentioned many times before, anything that has decent pedal steel sucks me right in. ------------- Can you tell me where we're headin'? Lincoln County Road or Armageddon. |
Posted By: natewait
Date Posted: January 21 2011 at 19:01
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Boy was I wrong. I decided to give this album another listen, and it's like the veil has been lifted and its simple beauty is being shown to me. It is quite a revelation. I'm loving it. There is just something really special here. I can't wait to keep listening. Wow, I'm being blown away. ------------- Please check out my Progressive Music Blog: http://leviathanprog.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow - The Leviathan . |
Posted By: Negoba
Date Posted: January 26 2011 at 11:24
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I play exactly this style of music in my duo and the other guy loves it. I think it's good, but certainly not even a masterpiece of indie folk. The harp is pretty amateurish.
There are some great moments, and some nice tight songwriting, but there are alot of bands doing this style right now. Some of them are alot better at it. For me, the draw of the Decemberists was that they added some extra spice to the mix. Eside from still using alot of five dollar words, not too much habanero here.
There are some good songs though. ------------- You are quite a fine person, and I am very fond of you. But you are only quite a little fellow, in a wide world, after all. |
Posted By: harmonium.ro
Date Posted: January 26 2011 at 18:30
| Indie-rock ensemble The Decemberists have nabbed their first number one album with the release of The King is Dead. With 94,000 copies sold, The King is Dead sits atop the Billboard 200 chart this week, while the pop compilation Kidz Bop 19 ranks at number two with 70,000 copies. By contrast, the Decemberists’ last album, 2009’s The Hazards of Love, peaked at number 14 with sales of 19,000.[ http://www.billboard.com/#/news/decemberists-king-is-dead-is-no-1-on-billboard-1005012162.story" rel="nofollow - Billboard.com ] |
Posted By: SaltyJon
Date Posted: January 26 2011 at 18:56
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Glad to see that the Kidz Bop series is still alive and kickin'!
------------- http://www.last.fm/user/Salty_Jon" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: jammun
Date Posted: January 26 2011 at 20:25
Good for them. Someone must be listening. Nice to see my old friends Social Distortion rockin' up the charts as well. It's a veritable renaissance. ------------- Can you tell me where we're headin'? Lincoln County Road or Armageddon. |
Posted By: jammun
Date Posted: January 26 2011 at 23:33
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.------------- Can you tell me where we're headin'? Lincoln County Road or Armageddon. |
Posted By: Negoba
Date Posted: January 31 2011 at 09:47
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I'm from the midwest, if a word has more than 6 letters it's going to be expensive. As a science guy, it doesn't take much to make me say "That's why I didn't take any more lit classes."
This album isn't as self-consciously literate as some of their work. I don't feel like I need to go look things up nearly as much.
I listened to it on repeat ALOT over the last week. Some songs are holding up to that scrutiny better than others. The opener is the best for me. I love finding the little musical quotes (Christine McVie and Stevie Nicks styled background vocals, the Raggle-Taggle gypsy, etc.)
Fun album. ------------- You are quite a fine person, and I am very fond of you. But you are only quite a little fellow, in a wide world, after all. |
Posted By: jammun
Date Posted: February 01 2011 at 22:15
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I grew up in the Rockies, where even saying a word, any word, is expensive
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.
------------- Can you tell me where we're headin'? Lincoln County Road or Armageddon. |