The Decemberists - The King Is Dead

Rating: B+

I had a thought a little while ago: do The Decemberists have a bad song?  It seems amazing, because they've released six albums now, but I really don't dislike any of their tunes.  There are a few I'm not wild about, but there's nothing I skip going through their collection.  That's pretty extraordinary.  And while I thought fourth album The Crane Wife slipped a bit from debut Castaways and Cutouts, I was blown away with their most recent album, Hazards Of Love, which I called my 2009 album of the year.

It's no surprise to regular readers of this blog (not that there are any), that, while my musical interests are still eclectic, I've become more and more focused on bluegrass and Americana music.   The Decemberists have struck in balance through their careers between folky indie and progressive rock, with their earlier albums tending more towards the former and more recent efforts the latter.  The King Is Dead, seen in that light a return to their earlier form, peppered with harmonica, acoustic guitars, banjos, fiddles, and slide guitars.  As such, it nicely dovetails with my tastes.

There's still some variety here - opener "Don't Carry It All" is thumping, "June Hymn" is a country lullabye (as Decemberists lead singer Colin Meloy once described earlier song "Red Right Ankle"), the hoe-downy "All Arise!," and even some cajun flavor in "Rox In the Box."  Peter Buck of R.E.M. appears and adds his distinctive guitar jangles on a couple tracks, including keying the chorus of "Calamity Song."  The band continues its run of not really having a weak track, but at the same time, there aren't any jaw-dropping standouts here like past tracks "The Wanting Comes in Waves," "Crane Wife," or "The Mariner's Revenge Song."  It's a set of 12 very good tunes, but nothing that grabs me and won't let go.

While The King Is Dead is a strong album with a great sound, the scope feels smaller than The Hazards of Love or The Crane Wife, which had overarching narratives that made the albums feel epic.  The King Is Dead isn't that, but it's a fine effort from a terrific band.

The Decemberists official site

Live Review - 3/22/2011 Barn Star and The Sunshine in the Shadow at Cantab

It occured to me watching Barn Star (aka Old Train and the Refugees aka The Jake Armerding Band) that maybe pretty much everyone making bluegrass over the past fifty years has missed the plot.  Zack Hickman, the incomparable bass player of the group (and also Josh Ritter's bass man) summed it up when he noted, "We have a reputation for being a bluegrass band for people who don't like bluegrass."  It's easy to see why: the group eschewed the typical covers of Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scraggs, and traditional Carter Family songs (more on that later) for a modern pastiche of Bruce Springsteen, Aerosmith (a version of "Janie's Got a Gun" that Hickman described as a "vanity project"), Neil Young, Tom Petty, and, surprisingly and hilariously, Tiffany's famous "I Think We're Alone Now."

The crowd ate it up.  Every solo, whether on Taylor Armerding's mandolin, his son Jake's fiddle, or five-stringer Wes' rolling banjo, was met with raucous applause.  The band traded leads and harmonies between the Armerdings and guitarist Mark Erelli, and all were well-regarded by the audience.  It's a blast of a show, and if you're lucky enough to see them, you definitely should.

I really enjoyed the opening act by Carter Family cover act Sunshine In the Shadows, but it seemed like I might have been the only one; the large crowd, no doubt packed in early to get a good spot for Barn Star, was not interested, and talked throughout the set.  The male-female duo, despite tight harmonies and playing and dressing in festive bolo tie and red dress, didn't do much to engage the audience, eschewing even comparatively popular Carter Family tunes like "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" and "Wildwood Flower."  Which leads me back to the original thought that started this post: why do this?  Anthropologically, we need to preserve the Appalachian folk tunes that are part of this country's heritage, but if the folks listening won't hear, what's the point of playing?  And if the folks won't listen, is it their fault, or the performers'?

I don't have an answer.  It's clear Barn Star and Sunshine In the Shadows have different approaches.  That's fine, but Barn Star is the only one I can recommend without reservation.