The Decemberists

[Mladen]

Wow! A new Eels album was announced yesterday, and now this. 2018 is finally shaping up to be a fine year. 

This new song, although it reminds me slightly of The Perfect crime II, sounds like they're pushing some boundaries a bit this time around. I'm not sure about the song on the first go, but kudos for doing something different.

[KevShmev]

Wow, that song was not what I was expecting style-wise, but I liked it a lot. 

I like the last album, What a Terrible World..., but I didn't love it, and not much of it really stuck with me, which makes two merely "solid" records in a row.  Here's hoping this new song is a sign of a really nice bounce back.

[Mladen]

The song is a grower. I can see spending so much time with it this weekend.

[soupytwist]

Just finished my first listen to 'I'll Be Your Girl'.   Hmm, first impression is it's a mess, a lot of the songs feel half baked - then right near the end 'Rusalka, Rusalka' appears out of the wreckage and there is The Decemberists I loved.   Obviously it needs more listens but right now - meh.

[lordxizor]

My first impression is similar. Not terribly impressed, but there are some good moments. A few more listens and hopefully more of the good pops out.

[SoundscapeMN]

kind of gunshy on this new album, but per I really haven't enjoyed an album from these guys since The Crane Wife, I guess I am not expecting a lot.

[KevShmev]

Damn, I forgot this was coming out today; I will have to grab it.  The last two albums were kinda spotty, while still being pretty good overall, so I am hoping this one is more consistent like their best works, ala Picaresque, The Crane Wife and The Hazards of Love.

[KevShmev]

After one listen, I am not terribly impressed.  Hard to believe that they thought songs like We All Die Young and Everything Is Awful were worthy of putting on a record.  After a single listen of each, I can't imagine ever listening to either of those songs ever again.  The best songs seem to be at the start of the record.

[Mladen]

Good God, I'm only half way through and I'm already stunned by how many songs I really disliked so far. I'm never one of those listeners that gives up on certain songs after the first listen, but I can hardly imagine some of these tracks growing on me.

Such a shame all of our early impressions is that the album is underwhelming.

[Nel_Annette]

I liked The King Is Dead even though the sound shifted slightly but I couldn't really get into the 2015 album (it's been three years?!) and it's sad to not be hearing great things about this one.

[Nekov]

Well, definitely a very different album. I did like their last album but this one just seems too much of a meh. It has a couple of good songs but for the most part it's forgettable. They have been steering to a sound that is maybe easier for the general public to get into which is not a bad thing, but here I think they over-did it.
Maybe the album will grow with time, we'll see.

[KevShmev]

I thought the record from 2015 had a handful of really good/great tunes, but also had some total throwaways.

Not sure I am buying the "the new stuff sounds more commercial" chatter, but while there are some songs on this I like, and I really love the first song, as a whole it is fairly unsatisfying.

[soupytwist]

Not sure I am buying the "the new stuff sounds more commercial" chatter, but while there are some songs on this I like, and I really love the first song, as a whole it is fairly unsatisfying.

Probably not so commercial, I'd say it just sounds like a fairly bog standard indie album.  Aside from Colin's unique voice and "Rusalka, Rusalka" (and maybe Cutting Stone - although that sounds more like a b-side) it doesn't really feel like a Decemberist record at all.

[KevShmev]

To me, Colin's voice is unique enough that when he sings, no matter what the music sounds like, it sounds like the Decemberists.

[Mladen]

I've only spent a week with the album, but I think this is one of those sad occassions that I have to admit one of my favorite bands released their worst album.

Rusalka, Rusalka/Wild rushes is a classic and Severed is a fun track, I wish they went in that direction stylistically with the entire album. The rest, however, features my least favorite songs by the band. The title track and Once in my life are painfully generic. And then there are tracks like Your ghost, Everything is awful and We all die young that are filled to the brim with poorly constructed vocal melodies, spotty production choices and quirky experimental instrumentation. I'm trying to figure out if Colin and the gang just wanted to be silly or witty with these songs, but they come off as uninspired and unfocused.

[KevShmev]

Some of the songs feel like they had good ideas that were never really fleshed out, almost like they threw the demo on the album.

Rusalka, Rusalka / Wild Rushes took a couple listens, but I am starting to like that one.

I suspect We All Die Young will be slightly enjoyable live despite the poor vocal melodies because that drum beat will be hard to not tap your foot to, but on record, ick.  Everything Is Awful and title track are both painfully poor.

I kinda like Your Ghost, but that one is a good example of what I was talking about.  A little more work could have made it a lot better.

[ariich]

Well, definitely a very different album. I did like their last album but this one just seems too much of a meh. It has a couple of good songs but for the most part it's forgettable. They have been steering to a sound that is maybe easier for the general public to get into which is not a bad thing, but here I think they over-did it.
Maybe the album will grow with time, we'll see.

I'm not sure it's particularly about how accessible and general public friendly the music is. Personally I'd say The King is Dead is their most poppy and accessible album, and it's fantastic because it does that pop-folk thing so well. The album after that was still pretty good. But with this new one... yeah, it's just most of the songs aren't very interesting. Such a shame.

[Nekov]

Well, definitely a very different album. I did like their last album but this one just seems too much of a meh. It has a couple of good songs but for the most part it's forgettable. They have been steering to a sound that is maybe easier for the general public to get into which is not a bad thing, but here I think they over-did it.
Maybe the album will grow with time, we'll see.

I'm not sure it's particularly about how accessible and general public friendly the music is. Personally I'd say The King is Dead is their most poppy and accessible album, and it's fantastic because it does that pop-folk thing so well. The album after that was still pretty good. But with this new one... yeah, it's just most of the songs aren't very interesting. Such a shame.

As I said, moving towards a more accessible sound is not necessarily bad and as you point out the 2 albums that came before this one are good, in spite of what some here think. But this one has lost that Decemberists essence those other 2 still had.

[SoundscapeMN]

super old bump.

new single coming "Burial Ground" tomorrow 2/6/24

https://twitter.com/TheDecemberists/status/1754580224090812698

also The Tain celebrates its 20th Anniversary on February 23rd btw.

[Mladen]

Interesting, this could mean a new album is on its way. I'm on the fence about the news, though, not only was their last album six years ago, but I also remember really not loving it.

[Puppies_On_Acid]

My expectations for a new album are extremely low. The quality of their albums went downhill fast after The Hazards of Love. The King is Dead was OK, but the last 2 albums were truly awful.

[SoundscapeMN]

https://open.spotify.com/album/5jodqSew9785i4tEIRLase
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBlJ35D7tss

[soupytwist]

That's more like it.  The last two albums were a huge stepdown in quality 'Terrible World' felt like a collection of B-Sides and 'Ill Be Your Girl' was so bad it seemed it could have been a contract obligation, so obviously lacking any effort!

This however warms my heart, can they deliver another classic?

[lordxizor]

Burial Ground did absolutely nothing for me. There were some good moments in the last two albums, but they were clearly a large step down from their previous work. I have pretty low expectations for the next album.

[SoundscapeMN]

back to doing Prog? new album coming June 14th. New 19-minute track "Joan in the Garden"

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/the-decemberists-as-it-ever-was-so-it-will-be-again-album-track-list-1234989941/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nhLuHWcTdo

[Mladen]

I decided to skip the singles, but I'll check out the album for sure. 

[lordxizor]

back to doing Prog? new album coming June 14th. New 19-minute track "Joan in the Garden"

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/the-decemberists-as-it-ever-was-so-it-will-be-again-album-track-list-1234989941/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nhLuHWcTdo

This song had some beautiful moments.  Not sure it needed to be 19 minutes

[KevShmev]

lordxizor, after seeing the band last night, I agree with that take on Joan in the Garden.  The song definitely has its moments, but felt like a slog overall.  The section in the middle went on for way too long, and you could literally feel the energy being drained out of the crowd.  The concert otherwise was excellent.  Colin's voice sounded GREAT, and some of the other new songs they played sounded really good.  Looking forward to getting the new album next month!  Love this band.

[Mladen]

I've been spining the new album for a week now and I must say, this is certainly quite an improvement over the predecessor. There's no doubt Colin is aware that the band was in a bit of a creative slump several years ago, as this material is way more inspired and ambicious, both in terms of the production and the songwriting.

I do have slight complaints, though. My issue with the album is that the leading singles might be the weakest songs on the record. They're supposed to carry the album, yet they're the weak points. Joan in the garden, although good, does last an eternity. They could have cut it in half.

The best songs on the album are quite honestly the deep cuts. My favorites are The Black Maria, Never satisfied, Tell me what's on your mind and quite possibly Born to the morning. I also love Long white veil, which has a gorgeous live video that was released several days ago.

It's not in my top five of their albums, but it's still good. Hopefully this is the beginning of their rennaisance and they can do even better.

[soupytwist]

I've been spining the new album for a week now and I must say, this is certainly quite an improvement over the predecessor. There's no doubt Colin is aware that the band was in a bit of a creative slump several years ago, as this material is way more inspired and ambicious, both in terms of the production and the songwriting.

I do have slight complaints, though. My issue with the album is that the leading singles might be the weakest songs on the record. They're supposed to carry the album, yet they're the weak points. Joan in the garden, although good, does last an eternity. They could have cut it in half.

The best songs on the album are quite honestly the deep cuts. My favorites are The Black Maria, Never satisfied, Tell me what's on your mind and quite possibly Born to the morning. I also love Long white veil, which has a gorgeous live video that was released several days ago.

It's not in my top five of their albums, but it's still good. Hopefully this is the beginning of their rennaisance and they can do even better.

I generally agree with this - aside from I love Burial Ground.   Certainly an improvement on their previous two albums - my issue with it which holds it back from being among their best is there are to many slow songs and it doesn't help most are grouped together in the middle section of the album.  I also agree Joan in the Garden if they want it on the album should have been cutdown - or released full length as a standalone EP (like The Tain).

Overall I'm happy - I wasn't sure they'd record again and 'I'll be your Girl' would have been a terrible album to end their career on.

[SoundscapeMN]

it's an uneven album, and Joan in the Garden could have been half as long. I also would have wanted it somewhere else on the record instead of the end (the beginning or even ending 1 of the sides), per it's best moments take too long to get to, including being the final track.

[ariich]

Yeah definitely a step back up, but not as good as their best stuff. Pleasant though, with some nice songs.