You don’t see many bands with roots in traditional folk music making much of a stir these days. Even less often will you see them on major record labels with releases debuting at Billboard #1. If it isn’t Mumford & Sons that have sprung to mind by now, odds are worth betting it’s The Decemberists. Since the millennium, they have been bringing us their rock-infused brand of reminiscent folk music and performances in a fashion all their own.
At the outset of 2011, The Decemberists released “The King Is Dead”. It was their third release since a surprising move to Capitol Records and their first to perch up at #1 on the charts. Then, just before November arrived, we were given the outtakes from that album, in EP format, under the title “Long Live The King”.
Those outtakes include two songs, “E. Watson” and “Sonnet”, performed predominantly by front man Colin Meloy and his acoustic guitar, two very country ballads called “Forgone” and “I 4 U & U 4 Me”, a dark and rousing folk piece called “Burying Davy” with heavy instrumentals which are my favorite part of the EP, and a cover of the Grateful Dead’s “Row Jimmy”. As usual, band mates Chris Funk, John Moen, Jenny Conlee, Nate Query, and Sara Watkins support Maloy.
So, The King Is Dead, Long Live The King … an antique phrase that might describe continuity of an establishment, independent of its current placeholder. Like, for example, becoming a part of some music that Jerry Garcia and Phil Hunter wrote in the wee 70’s. The tune will long live, but those who happen to play it won’t. We’re all just passing through, just like a King.
I wouldn’t crown The Decemberists king of anything, but they are indeed part of a great many things important to those who take time to read this blog. Granted, I think it’s ill advised to record a cover without doing a better job morphing it into your own, different sound, but I guess if you generally enjoy this modern flavor of folk music, it would be difficult not to enjoy them. What I mean to say is that the EP is as readily enjoyable as its album counterpart. Just don’t expect them to do anything better than the early 70’s Dead…
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