I'LL BE YOUR GIRL

While still nowhere near the levels of their beloved "Crane Wife" and "Hazards of Love" albums, "I'll Be Your Girl" is certainly an improvement of The Decemberists preceding two albums. The warm synths that grace much of this album create a lovely sound that, while perhaps not so proggy, are definitely enjoyable. For me, the high point of this album is the roughly eight-minute "Rusalka, Rusalka/Wild Rushes," which brings back the sort of storytelling that made The Decemberists so popular to begin with. I also quite enjoyed "Severed" with its intimidating tone, though I warn that if you are a fan of America's current presidential administration, there's a good chance that you won't find the song quite as enjoyable. Also high points for me on this album are "Once In My Life," "Starwatcher," and the title track "I'll Be Your Girl." Overall, I don't necessarily think this essential to a prog collection, but I think its definitely worthwhile to have for a general music collection.