Decemberists
Jan 17, 2011
Portland-based The Decemberists have slowly but surely built a solid following with Triple A audiences and with their latest effort they have delivered the album Triple A radio was hoping for.
"The King Is Dead" marks a deliberate turn towards simplicity after the band's wildly ambitious and widely acclaimed 2009 song-cycle "The Hazards of Love." Produced, once again, by Tucker Martine, the newest effort features special guest appearances by Gillian Welch on seven tracks and legendary R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck on three tracks.
The Decemberists-- Colin Meloy, Chris Funk, Jenny Conlee, Nate Query, and John Moen - may take their cues from country rock as well as their love of folk this time around but they have still delivered a full and gutsy sound that is all their own.
As "Down By the Water" rides high on the Triple A charts, there are several other track that deserve your attention including "This Is Why We Fight," "Don't Carry it All," "Rise to Me" and "Rox in the Box."
"For all my talk about how complex those earlier records we did were, this one may have been harder to do," Meloy said. "It's a real challenge to make simple music, and lot of times we had to deliberately hold off and keep more space. This record is an exercise in restraint."
The Decemberists performed on Conan O'Brien's newly launched late show "Conan" on TBS in November 2010. Their album was recently featured on NPR Music's First Listen. They will appear on the "The Late Show with Jay leno" on January 20th and their "World Café" appearance airs January 21st.
They are set to hit the road on tour at the end of the month.
- 1/24 -26 Beacon Theater, New York
- 1/28-29 House of Blues, Boston
- 1/31 Olympia De Montreal, Montreal
- 2/1 Sound Academy, Toronto
- 2/2 Royal Oak Music Theatre, Royal Oak, MI
- 2/4 Riviera Theatre, Chicago
- 2/5 Riverside Theatre, Milwaukee
- 2/6 State Theatre, Minneapolis
- 2/7 Uptown Theatre, Kansas City
- 2/9 Boulder Theater, Boulder
- 2/10 Ogden Theatre, Denver
- 2/12 The Wiltern, Los Angeles
- 2/13 House of Blues, San Diego
- 2/14 Fox Theater, Oakland
- 2/18 Paramount Ballroom, Seattle
- 2/19 Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, Portland, OR
For more, visit www.decembersists.com
