Ears Like a Hawke
Let's Connect!! --->>>
  • Home
  • Song of the Day
  • Album Reviews
  • Artist Studies
    • Steely Dan
  • Industry Happenings
  • Friends of the Hawke

The Decemberists - The King Is Dead

3/28/2012

0 Comments

 
Picture
I got on a serious NPR Music App kick last summer, and this band was one of the major players throughout it. Now, a huge reason for that is because they're Portland, Oregon natives and I can't see to get enough of that city's influence in my life. Another reason is that their music is just plain great. They experiment on every album with new sounds and just take things where they want to. They're deliciously dark and musically enchanting in every damn song I hear.

So, if you read my Grammy picks, you might now understand why they were one of my winner picks - which I was wrong about. They were robbed, damn it. This album is good (yeah, writing the intro in the middle of this listen - I have other things going on in my life people!) This is meant to be a pastoral/rural record, which it hits the mark for sure on. Instead of being influenced by British folk, as past albums were, this album was said to provide a look at our own American tradition, and really dig in to the roots of things. 

Warning ahead of time: I get a little poetic - flowery even - in my descriptions. This music was just an incredible fit for an otherwise lonely and quiet night.

Check it out on Spotify - trust me, you won't be disappointed.


"Don't Carry It All" is the first track, and already cradling me into a very familiar place. I love this band, regardless of my lack of listening enough. They know how to keep a damn good beat going and just edge on that whiny vocal sound without crossing over into horrible territory. The song is a great message about not trying to carry the weight of everything on you constantly - a lesson more than a few of us could stand to take to heart. 

Almost in the vein of the theme from Matilda, we get the sweet little beat to "Calamity Song" next. This is like those old 90's songs that weren't top of the charts, but you can't help but remember the sound of. Think "Pete and Pete" (which I know I've referenced a few times before). Favorite line: "and all that remains is the arms of the angels." Take that and proceed it with drums and guitar rhythms that are just complex enough to maintain interest, but simple enough to smile automatically, and I think we've got a great one on our hands - not to mention, a pretty entertaining and poignant video.
"Rise To Me"is much lighter than the first two, relying only on that guitar strumming at the start and a voice to sing out. This is the one you throw on when you're home alone on a Saturday night after a long week and cancelled plans. Ohhhh, hey there MY Saturday night. Thank goodness for good music though, right? Right-O. This actually winds up being a really great on on self-power. "I am gonna stand my ground - you rise to me and I'll blow you down."

"Rox In The Box"has this very country/folk sound, and I would feel safe betting money on the face that I've heard this somewhere before. Actually, I take that back - I did have a huge NPR kick for a while, and I think it was right around when this album as being released. The song itself is pretty introspective in a pretty, well, dark way. The fiddle carries it down, but almost adds some understanding to the whole matter. Plus, there's this fascinating Irish/Scottish essence that's just gorgeously lining the whole thing.

The next track, "January Hymn," is definitely that winter track. It's raw, like the chill in the air, but simple as the white snow. Guh, I'm very oddly poetic tonight. There's something in the melody here too, though, that ties that simplicity and rawness together in complete beauty. You just want to get lost in it as the track waves by on the chilly wind.

The Grammy nominated track is next: "Down By The Water."It includes Peter Buck on 12-string guitar and our old friend Gillian Welch with vocals. Anyone else here some REM influence going on? Not that I don't love it - it's pretty damn fantastic - the whole song I mean. There's a bitter roughness to it all, maybe just by the sharps being hit in those melodies. The Blues Travelers harmonic isn't ideal, but it doesn't hurt once you ignore your mental reference to where you've heard it before.

"All Arise!"is the most upbeat number we've heard so far. There's just some odd happiness exuded through it, maybe thanks to those little fiddle happy noises and the steady toe-tap-inducing happy beat. The words themselves are more in-line with the band's usual darker lyrical style, but I still want to bop my head a little. "Just be mine tonight" is this cute little line that sounds like he's really saying "screw it all else and be here and with me damn it." This is how these things play in my head. :)

Just as the January one did, "June Hymn"has its own season's sound to it. It plays with the sunshine and lets it rise above the rest slowly and steadily and maybe even through love. Or maybe I'm hopeful. It sings of that gentle time where spring fades into summer, and before we know it the transition is done and we're surrounded. I'm sort of enjoying giving into the poetic sense of writing tonight that's normally reserved for instrumental albums - hope you are too!

"This Is Why We Fight"kind of blew me away at first, simply because of its non-simplicity. The whole band kicks in at first, and with this old West song. It moves so much more like a pop song than the rest of the others have, because there's more element involved. The lyrics are great - it's an explanation of why we care. "Why we lie awake at night. When we die, we die with our arms unbound." There's even a stop/start section to really emphasize the points. Ah, to see this live...

There's this odd little quiet hidden track at the end of the last one, that floats there. Nothing to write home about in my mind.

The final track is "Dear Avery." While this may be the quietest song overall, it's almost off my radar completely until the harmonies come in. So many of the songs have a 'stand up for what you want' sound/theme, that this is tough, but maybe it's about the fighter we know, instead of the one we are. It's a memory and a calling back to the home that he once had from the people who care. It's a nice gentle rock into the end of a beautifully constructed album.


Added to My Playlist:
  • "Don't Carry It All"
  • "Calamity Song"
  • "Rise To Me"
  • "Rox In The Box"
  • "January Hymn"
  • "Down By The Water"
  • "All Arise!"
  • "June Hymn"
  • "This Is Why We Fight"
Every single track is now on my regular playlist, aside from the final one, which I just couldn't get into even after listening for a few minutes. But god, every single other track was incredible. The album is musically amazing, and I was able to get into the lyrics in such other ways than so many songs usually provide. This album is really one of the best I've heard in quite some time, and I already can't wait to hear is again and again come up in this list.
0 Comments
    Google
    Custom Search

    Author

    My name's Janelle. I'm a fan of music.

    Archives

    January 2017
    January 2016
    December 2014
    July 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011

    Categories

    All
    10000 Reasons
    18 Months
    1968
    1978
    1982
    1984
    1995
    1996
    2003
    2007
    2008
    2009
    2010
    2011
    2012
    2012 Grammy Special
    2012 Grammys Special
    2013
    2013 Grammys Special
    2014
    2015
    2015 Grammys Special
    2016
    2016 Grammys Special
    2017 Grammys Special
    21
    2478fcc7c85e9
    2 Chainz
    33 1/3
    4
    4x4129e74cfccd9
    6b17225b62
    80s
    Acoustic
    Adele
    A Different Kind Of Truth
    A Different Ship
    A Dramatic Turn Of Events
    Adult Alternative
    Afro Cuban
    Ahmad Jamal
    A Holiday Carole
    Aimee Mann
    Alabama Shakes
    Album Review
    Album Reviews
    Album Title Goes Here239d00844a
    Alexander Glazunov
    Alex Storer
    Al Jarreau
    All Rebel Rockers
    Alternative
    Alternative Folk
    Alternative Hip Hop
    Alternative Rock
    Al Walser
    Ambiant
    Americana
    Amy Winehouse
    Anakin
    And If Our God Is For Us44b8fff38b
    Andrae Crouch
    Andrew Davis
    Anthrax
    Arabia Mountain
    Area 52
    Arrow
    Art Rock
    Artuno Sandoval
    Arun Shenoy
    Astral Weeks
    Avicii
    Bach
    Bad Jokes
    Bangarang
    Barbara Streisand
    Barbra Streisand
    Baroque Pop
    Barton Hallow
    Based On A T.r.u. Story
    Bbc Philharmonic
    Belmont
    Benny Benassi
    Best Of
    Best Song Written For Visual Media
    Beyonce
    Big Beat
    Big Krit
    Biophilia
    Bjork
    Black And White
    Black Taxi
    Blake Shelton
    Blind Pilot
    Blood Bank
    Blood Pressures
    Blueeyed Soul05b96abb11
    Bluegrass
    Blue Moon
    Blues
    Blues Rock
    Blunderbuss
    Body And Soul
    Body Talk Pt 3
    Bond The Paris Sessions40ce2eefdd
    Bon Iver
    Bonnaroo
    Bonnaroo Special
    Bonnie Raitt
    Booker T Jones9ee767620b
    Born Free
    Born This Way
    Bowen
    Boys & Girls
    Bozza Nova
    Brahms
    Break The Spell
    Brian Setzer
    Bring It On Home
    Britt Nicole
    Broadway
    Brothers Osborne
    Bruce Springsteen
    Bruno Mars
    California 37
    Calvin Harris
    Camp
    Canton Jones
    Carly Rae Jepsen
    Carole King
    Ccm
    Cee Lo Green
    Celtic Punk
    Ceremonials
    Chaal Baby
    Channel Orange
    Charlie Wilson
    Cheif
    Cherub
    Chicago Symphony Orchestra Brass Section
    Childish Gambino
    Choral
    Chris Botti
    Christian Pop
    Christian Pop Rock
    Christmas
    Chris Tomlin
    Cinema
    Circles Around Me
    City And Colour
    Classic
    Classical
    Cloud Maintenance
    Coheed And Cambria
    Coldplay
    Cole World: The Sideline Story
    Come Around Sundown
    Comeback
    Comedy
    Comedy Rock
    Cool Jazz
    Cosmogramma
    Country
    Cso Resound - Chicago Symphony Orchestra Brass Live
    Cuban
    Cut/Copy
    Daft Punk
    Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr
    Dance
    Dance Pop
    Dance-pop
    D'angelo And The Vanguard
    Danger Mouse
    Daniele Luppi
    Danny Brown
    Darondo
    Das Racist
    Daughtry
    Dave Koz
    Davenport Cabinet
    David Guetta
    Dawes
    Deadmau5
    Dean Taylor
    Dear Diz (every Day I Think Of You)
    Delta Spirit
    Derek And The Dominos
    Diddy-Dirty Money
    Dispatch
    Dispatch Ep
    Dj
    Dominionaire
    Donald Lawrence And The Company
    Don't Think
    Doo-wop
    Doo-Wops & Hooligans
    Dream Theater
    Dr John
    Dubstep
    Duck Sauce
    Duets Ii
    Duets With The Dames
    Dylan Connor
    Ed Sheeran
    El Camino
    El Debarge
    Electric Blues
    Electro House
    Electronic
    Electronica
    Electronic Dance Music
    Electronic Music
    Electronic Rock
    Electropop
    Elephant
    Elvis Costello
    Ema
    Eminem
    Eric Benet
    Eric Church
    Erin Mclendon
    Eurodance
    Experimental
    Experimental Rock
    Feist
    Female
    Film Soundtrack
    Fire & Ice
    Fitz And The Tantrums
    Flogging Molly
    Florence + The Machine
    Flower Punk
    Flying Lotus
    Folk
    Folk Blues
    Folk-Noise
    Folk Rock
    Follow Me Down
    Foo Fighters
    For The Good Times
    Foster The People
    Four Hands & A Heart
    Frank Ocean
    Frank Sinatra
    Fruit Bats
    Fun
    Funk
    Funk Rock
    Fusion
    Future Worlds
    Futuristic Soul
    Gaia
    Garage
    Garage Punk
    Gerald Albright
    Gerald Clayton
    Gillian Welch
    Glee Cast
    Glee The Music The Christmas Album Value 2
    Glossary
    Gold
    Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band
    Gorillaz
    Gospel
    Gotye
    Greatest Hits... So Far!
    Hands All Over
    Hard Rock
    Harry Connick Jr.
    Heartless Bastards
    Heavy Metal
    Hello Fear
    Hello Tomorrow
    Here We Go Magic
    Heroes
    Hip Hop
    Hip-hop
    Holiday
    Home Again
    Horse Power Ep
    House
    Hugh Laurie
    Hunter Hayes
    I Can't Live Without You
    Impressions
    I'm With You
    In Concert On Broadway
    Indie
    Indie Folk
    Indie Pop
    Indie Rock
    Industrial Metal
    Instrumental
    Instrumental Rock
    Irish Pop
    Jack Bruce
    Jack Bruce & His Big Blues Band: Live 2012
    Jack White
    James Durbin
    Jamie Grace
    Jay-Z And Kanye West
    Jazz
    Jazz Fusion
    Jazz Pop
    J. Cole
    Jeff Beck
    Joan Osborne
    Joe Jackson
    ... Just A Matter Of Time
    Just Charlie
    Kaleidoscope Dream
    Kanye West
    Karen Elson
    Kaskade
    Kathleen Edwards
    Katy Perry
    Kelly Clarkson
    Kevin Hearn
    K Flay
    Khaira Arby
    Kid Rock
    Kim Burrell
    Kings Of Leon
    Kirk Franklin
    Kirtan
    Kiss
    Kisses On The Bottom
    Krishna Das
    Kristjan
    Lady Gaga
    Larry Carlton
    Lasers
    Last Train To Paris
    Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs
    Leaving Richmond
    Leonard Cohen
    Let Them Talk
    Levels
    Lioness: Hidden Treasures
    Listen To My Song: The Music City Sessions
    Little Broken Hearts
    Little Hell
    Live
    Live Anada
    Live At Cecil Sharp House Ep
    Live At The Blue Note Tokyo
    Live At The Royal Albert Hall
    Live From Beyond Hell Above Heaven
    Live From The Underground
    Lmfao
    Locked Down
    Long Live All Of Us
    Lost In Time
    Loud
    Lounge
    Love Letter
    Lupe Fiasco
    Making Mirrors
    Man In Motion
    Marie Naffah
    Mark Ronson
    Maroon 5
    Mastodon
    Matt Redman
    Megadeth
    Melody Gardot
    Memories Of A Beautiful Disaster
    Metal
    Metals
    Michael Brandt Demaria
    Michael Buble
    Michael Franti & Spearhead
    Michael Kiwanuka
    Middle Eastern
    Midnight Boom
    Miguel
    Mistaken Identity
    Mom Dad0e99b45cc3
    More Monsters And Sprites Ep
    Mto Plays Sly
    Mumford And Sons
    Muse
    Music Is Better Than Words
    My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
    Mylo Xyloto
    Neo-prog
    Neo Soul
    N.E.R.D.
    Nero
    New Age
    New Music Friday
    New Music Tuesday
    New Prog
    New Wave
    New York City
    Nicki Minaj
    Nico Osborne
    Night And Day
    Nightmare Revisited
    Nine Types Of Light
    No
    Norah Jones
    Norman Brown
    Nothing
    Nothing But The Beat
    Nothing Is Wrong
    Old Ideas
    Once: A New Musical
    One Song At A Time
    Original Broadway Cast Recording
    Our Machine
    Outlaw Country
    Overexposed
    Parody
    Past Life Martyred Saints
    Pat Metheny
    Paul Mccartney
    Peter Kater
    Piano
    Pickin' Up The Pieces
    Pink Friday
    Pitbull
    Planet Pit
    P!nk
    P!nk
    Pop
    Pop Instrumental
    Pop Punk
    Pop Rock
    Pop Vocal
    Port Of Morrow
    Post-Britpop
    Post-grunge
    Post-hymnal Anthematic
    Post-Punk
    Post-punk Revival
    Power Metal
    Power Pop
    Primal Fear
    Progressive Bluegrass
    Progressive House
    Progressive Metal
    Protest
    Psychedelic Rock
    Pub Rock
    Punk Rock
    Rachel Platten
    Radioactive
    Radiohead
    Random Accessed Memories
    Random Discoveries
    Rap
    Rare Groove
    Rave On Buddy Holly
    R&B
    R&b
    Recommendations
    Red Baraat
    Red Hot Chili Peppers
    Red River Blue
    Reggae
    Reggaefusion
    Relax
    Remixes
    Requests
    Richard King
    Rihanna
    Ringo 2012
    Ringo Starr
    Rize Of The Fenix
    R. Kelly
    Robyn
    Rock
    Rock And Roll
    Rock 'N' Roll Party Honoring Les Paul
    Rock Opera
    Rodrigo Y Gabriela & C.U.B.A.
    Rolling Papers
    Romantic
    Rome
    Roses
    Royal Tailor
    Rumbadoodle
    Russian National Orchestra
    Sam Bush
    Sarah Jarosz
    Save The World
    Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites
    Second Chance
    Seraphic Fire
    Seth Macfarlane
    Setzer Goes Intru-Mental!
    Shamrocks
    Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
    Shemekia Copeland
    Short Of The Sun
    Showtunes
    Sia
    Sigh No More
    Singer Songwriter
    Singer-songwriter
    Sixx:A.M.
    Ska
    Skrillex
    Slipstream
    Sludge Metal
    Smashing Pumpkins
    Smooth Jazz
    So Far
    Soja
    Solo Albums
    Some Nights
    Sorry For Party Rocking
    Soul
    Soul Time!
    Soundtrack
    Southern Hip Hop
    Southern Rock
    Special Edition Post
    Speed Of Darkness
    Standards
    Steampunk
    Steve Aoki
    Steven Bernstein's Millennial Territory Orchestra
    Stomp And Smash
    Stoner Rock
    Storm Corrosion
    Strange Mercy
    Stranger
    Strength To Survive
    Stronger
    St Vincent
    Sunshine Pop
    Susan Boyle
    Swedish House Mafia
    Synthpop
    Talk That Talk
    Techno
    Teenage Dream
    Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection
    Tenacious D
    Th1rt3en
    That's How We Roll
    That's Why God Made The Radio
    The 2nd Law
    The Absence
    The Antlers
    The Band Perry
    The Beach Boys
    The Bird And The Submarine
    The Black Keys
    The Black Lips
    The Bristol Sessions
    The Cars
    The Chemical Brothers
    The Chieftains
    The Civil Wars
    The Clare Fischer Latin Jazz Big Band
    The Cranberries
    The Credins
    The Decemberists
    The Devil Makes Three
    The Edges Of Twilight
    The Fall
    The Ghost Who Walks
    The Gift
    The Harrow & The Harvest
    The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack
    The Hunter
    The Hybrid
    The Journey
    The Kills
    The King Is Dead
    The King Of Limbs
    The Lady Killer
    The Light Dreams
    The Little Willies
    The Lonely Island
    The Love Album
    The Lumineers
    The Metropole Orkest
    The Music City Story
    The Road To Memphis
    The Shins
    The Staves
    The Tea Party
    The Truth About Love
    The White Stripes
    Thrash Metal
    Together
    Tony Bennett And Various Artists
    Top 10
    Torches
    Traditional Pop
    Traditional Vocal
    Train
    Trance
    Tribute
    Trip-hop
    Tripper
    Tron: Legacy Reconfigured
    Turtleneck & Chain
    Tv On The Radio
    Tv Soundtrack
    Unbreakable
    Unique
    Until Now
    Valient Thorr
    Van Halen
    Van Morrison
    Various Artists
    Vernon Reid
    Voice Of Ages
    Volbeat
    Volume One
    Voyageur
    Wakey!wakey!
    Warren Haynes
    Wasting Light
    Watch The Throne
    We Are The Tide
    We Don't Know Any Better
    Weird Al
    Welcome Reality
    Weloveyoursongs.com Artists
    What It's All About
    What Matters Most
    When You're Through Thinking Say Yes
    White Denim
    Wild And Free
    Willie Nelson
    Wind Rock Sea And Flame
    Winner Selections
    Wiz Khalifa
    Wonderland
    World
    Worship Music
    Wrecking Ball
    Ya Rassoul
    Yelawolf
    Yellowcard
    Young The Giant
    YRM (Your Righteous Mind)
    Ziggy Marley
    Zonoscope

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.