The first time I heard The Decemberists was in 2006, when I heard “O Valencia!,” off their album The Crane Wife. What immediately grabbed me was the singing and how it was instantly recognizable. Also, who or what exactly was Valencia? Why was this guy singing so passionately about it? Then I wondered – what even is a Decemberist? I had no idea, but I knew I liked the track. That sent me down a road of listening, and I devoured the full album.
Fast forward to today, and The Decemberists have been around for about 25 years. And they’ve kept busy - Grammy nominations, world tours, multiple lineup changes, a brief hiatus, collaborations with Planned Parenthood and songs featured in The Hunger Games.
As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again is their ninth studio album. As far as ninth albums go it’s solid. Frontman Colin Meloy still brings the charm with his introspective lyrics. Musically, the album draws influences from Morrisey, The Beatles, Tom Waits and R.E.M. The 13-track album is full of songs you should know and will likely have on repeat.
Genuine feeling shines through in “Burial Ground” and “Tell Me What’s on Your Mind” (tracks one and 11, respectively), and both have beautiful and exciting instrumentation. In fact, the record explores many musical themes. On “Burial Ground” the trumpets and saxophones go in an Avant-garde jazz direction. Then in track two (“Oh No!”) Meloy and company go down to the border, where it sounds like they're in a standoff with the Devil at the crossroads where Robert Johnson sold his soul.
As with most artists, some songs hit harder than others. “William Fitzwilliam” is a forgettable mid-album track and “The Black Maria” is a bit of a slog. “All I Want Is You” has a lovely finger picked guitar melody, but Meloy’s lyrics become redundant, and the song falls into classic love song tropes.
But what really stuck with me is the album's closing track: “Joan in the Garden,” which is a slow burn clocking in at 19 minutes. The song starts out with just Meloy and a guitar and gradually becomes the album’s most rocked out track, seemingly channeling Pink Floyd levels of epic prog rock. This song has it all: buzzed out guitars, church bells, arpeggiated synths, lyrics about bursting from ovaries – it’s a real trip. And, right when you think it’s wrapping up, somewhere around 13 minutes in it completely changes direction and feels like punk rock meets Rush. That song could have been a record within itself, it’s that eclectic.
For fans of the band there’s plenty to love. For folks who’ve never heard of The Decemberists it’s a good launching off point to discover the rest of the discography. For me, it’s like when I first found them in 2006 — left with questions, wonder and excitement. The Decemberists know what they’re doing, and they do it well. Time to go dust off The Crane Wife.
