The Decemberists: From Rock Opera To A Band In A Barn
The Decemberists' Colin Meloy (second from right) says he followed his "creative whim" to create The King Is Dead's simple, pretty songs.
The Decemberists' Colin Meloy (second from right) says he followed his "creative whim" to create The King Is Dead's simple, pretty songs.
Throughout the past decade, The Decemberists' Colin Meloy has worked with his band to craft elaborate, hyperliterate song cycles. Their songs, steeped in British folk tales and Dickensian character studies, hit a majestic pinnacle two years ago with The Hazards of Love, a 17-part rock opera.
Many fans wondered: How would they follow that?
The band followed it by breaking it all down and starting over again. Its new album, The King Is Dead, is a simpler, more straightforward affair featuring acoustic instruments. It was even recorded in a barn.
"It feels like it was sort of a natural progression from what we had done previously," frontman Colin Meloy tells Weekend All Things Considered host Guy Raz. "I feel like I'd spent the last four years steeped in the British folk revival of the '60s and '70s — music that was relatively new to me. ... But I was sort of poring over it like you would come to music that you've discovered as an adult, as opposed to being a kid. So I kind of had this academic approach to it, and how it was sort of reflected in the music that we were making felt very cerebral and academic.
"And I think once we had done The Hazards of Love, I think I had reached the apotheosis of the possibilities of what I was doing," he says. "And it was really a time to pull it back a bit, and sort of rediscover the music that I sort of have in my bones from being a kid, and music that got me playing music to begin with."
The King Is Dead can be heard as part of NPR Music's Exclusive First Listen series.
More Music Interviews
Music Interviews
Birth Of An Album: In The Studio With Neko Case
In the months ahead, Morning Edition will check in from time to time as Case creates her new record.
Music Interviews
Jeremy Denk: Playing Ligeti With A Dash Of Humor
The pianist's new album features etudes written by the Hungarian composer Gyorgy Ligeti.
Music Interviews
Garbage: After An Absence, Always The Oddball
"I wanted to make loud, guitar-driven rock again," lead singer Shirley Manson says of the band.
Comments
Please keep your community civil. All comments must follow the NPR.org Community rules and terms of use. See also the Community FAQ.
NPR reserves the right to read on the air and/or publish on its website or in any medium now known or unknown the e-mails and letters that we receive. We may edit them for clarity or brevity and identify authors by name and location. For additional information, please consult our Terms of Use.