Two of My Favorite Musical Worlds Colliding? ---- Could This Be Too Much of a Good Thing?

I was skeptical about the country influence for this album. Don't get me wrong, I was raised on (and love) country music: (Merle, George, Hank, Buck, Conway, Loretta, Tammy, etc.) And, I like the band's brief forays into country: ("Please Daddy", Bandit Queen, Hazards of Love 4, etc.) But I was afraid this album might be too over the top, even for me, and the style that made me fall in love with The Decemberists might be lost.

While "The King is Dead" occasionally stumbles, I'm happy to say that it's a great album that embraces a more mature and simplified sound. The band has never been into complex chord changes, and often times simpler progressions lead to catchier and more gripping melodies. (Also they're easier for me to learn on my guitar.) I would say that this is most certainly the case here with "The King is Dead."

I am a huge fan of the concept rock opera that is "The Hazards of Love," and am still in love with the album's closing number, "The Hazards of Love 4 (The Drowned.)" It's easily the prettiest song on the album, and "The King is Dead" is filled with songs just as beautiful and riveting.

"Rise to Me," "January Hymn," "June Hymn," and "Dear Avery" engross and please. The soft hummable melodies dig into your ear, and stay long after the album has ended. Mr. Meloy's fantastic lyrical abilities are still in full force, although you can leave your dictionary at home for this album.

There's a good mix here and "Rox in the Box" seems to be the only song I don't care for. Though when it plays, I can't in all good conscious skip it, and I find myself humming along by the end. "This is Why We Fight" is a great tune, and is definitely more rock-centric than the rest of the songs. Some might think it sticks out like a sore thumb, but I can't imagine the album without it. 

My only real gripe with "The King is Dead" is the harmonica. The playing is fantastic, but I've never been a harmonica fan, and feel a little goes a long way. There's more than a little on here, and it occasionally detracts from the songs. However, the playing is so good and clean, that I can, for the most part, overlook it.

After the band's last endeavor, I found myself asking, "Where do you go from here?" Instead of trying to top themselves, and retreading ground that's already been explored, The Decemberists have side-stepped and embraced elements of blue-grass, country, and folk for an entirely different sound that is just as fantastic as their last album, but for different reasons. Where "The Hazards of Love" succeeded in it's big theatrical and conceptual sound, "The King is Dead" succeeds with it's down-home, simplified one.  

While not for everyone, "The King is Dead" is a quick 40 minute tour into a very enjoyable and unique Decemberists experience. I highly recommend it.