![]() I also know that it’s probably unfair of me to approach most albums as though they were concept albums, and their songs were meant to connect to each other in some way instead of simply being a collection of whatever ideas an artist had on their mind over the years since we last heard from them. I know that the history of rock music is littered with ill-conceived concept albums from bands that either didn’t have the imagination or instrumental chops to pull them off, or else they followed their creative muses so far down the rabbit hole that nobody understood what the hell they were trying to say. I know that putting one together can be a bit of a risky proposition in a climate where listeners’ attention spans seem better suited for streaming and for curated playlists than they do for listening to a complete work by a single artist that is meant to follow a singular narrative from beginning to end. ![]() This might be a dark horse pick, but it’s easily my favorite Decemberists album thus far. The crisp production puts the rustic instrumentation upfront, making the record evocative of the wide open American West, and it songs work together thematically while also being enjoyable individually, without the surrounding context being required listening. But for me, this is the record that manages to hit the sweet spot. I can’t imagine the move toward more conventional and accessible song structures, and away from high concept albums, sitting well with fans of the increasingly complex and long-winded magnum opuses they made toward the end of the 2000s. In Brief: The Decemberists took a hard turn toward twangy Americana at the start of the last decade.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |