I know that this album was one of Mike's picks last week, but the King Is Dead was officially released today on iTunes. The King Is Dead breaks away from the album-long storytelling formula that made their previous albums so popular (The Crane Wife, The Hazards of Love) and decided to embrace simplicity. The epic guitar solos and children choirs from Hazards are now gone, and replaced with songs that have roots in country and folk (most of the songs feature country legend Gillian Welch, making for some amazing harmonies.) The stripped down sound works however, and makes this album reminiscent of their older work (before their albums became epic musicals.) Whether they decide to return to musicals or not, the Decemberists have proved that they are comfortable in the complex language of music. When listening to this album, just remember that sometimes the simplest songs can be the most difficult. The album can still be previewed at NPR, and I recommend purchasing it:
The King Is Dead (NPR)
And just so you can hear how different this album is then their blood-soaked predecessors...
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