The King Is Dead (CD)

The Decemberists new album THE KING IS DEAD is a mostly-acoustic set of 10 concise, Americana-based songs, that marks a deliberate turn towards simplicity after the bands wildly ambitious and acclaimed 2009 song-cycle THE HAZARDS OF LOVE. Produced once again by Tucker Martine, THE KING IS DEAD features special guest appearances by Americana luminary Gillian Welch and legendary R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck. THE KING IS DEAD showcases the ways in which the Decemberists - Colin Meloy, Chris Funk, Jenny Conlee, Nate Query, and John Moen - sound just as glorious in simple, stripped-down compositions as they do on the elaborate structures that have defined their work for years. The album was recorded in a converted barn at Pendarvis Farm, an 80-acre estate of lush meadows, forest, and Mt. Hood views outside of Portland, and it was the concept of the barnas recording space and as attitude that informed the making of THE KING IS DEAD.