The Decemberists' 'Long Live the King' Review

When I started listening to The King is Dead upon its release in early 2011, I was immediately reminded of Decemberists front man Colin Meloy's time with his former band Tarkio.The album was in a similar vein to much of Tarkio's catalog. The major difference was that Meloy had approximately 10 more years of songwriting at his back and the songs had been launched into an R.E.M blender. It should come as little surprise then that the complement to the album --Long Live the King -- falls into similar territory.

Of the six tracks on Long Live the King, I can comfortably say that four of them are successful. When you consider the nature of b-side material, four out of six is a pretty strong percentage. It's also a percentage that's consistent with most of the other Decemberists b-side releases. For every "Raincoat Song" or "After the Bombs," there's invariably a "Days of Elaine" or a "Hurdles Even Here." Concerning b-sides, at the end of the day, one should just take the attitude that it's better to have this stuff than not.

"Foregone" is the one track on the EP that could have easily had a proper place on the full album. Not only does it have the sound of the album, but it has melodic moments that mirror The King is Dead -lead track "Don't Carry it All." In fact, I would have preferred a direct swap of the songs. Lead track "E.Watson" is my favorite of the bunch. The harmonies that echo around on the chorus fill in nicely what is an otherwise sparse "Colin and guitar" song. They provide the chorus with an emotional jolt that really rounds out the track. Meloy's R.E.M influence shines through on this one as much as it does on the apocalyptic "Calamity Song" off The King is Dead.

"Burying Davy" is probably the most standard Decemberists song within this entry. It has a feel not unlike Always the Bridesmaid's "A Record Year for Rainfall." The way the instruments sneak in and out of presence only to come storming back when Meloy sings "we're burying Davy" mimics certain stages of the band's 2004 mini-epic, The Tain. "I4U & U4Me" is the track most unabashed about being a b-side. It's a joyful listen while contrasting the minor, dark overtones of "E.Watson" and "Burying Davy."

They also chose to put a cover of the Grateful Dead's "Row Jimmy." I'll confess to not being much of a fan of the Dead at this stage of my life, so this song doesn't really resonate with me. It's not poorly performed, it just didn't really gel with what I was looking for. But again, better to have than not I suppose. The EP closes with the misguided "Sonnet." Meloy's falsetto ain't what it used to be (such as it was to being with) and it serves as a mega-distraction from the song. Otherwise, the song sounds, well, like a sonnet. It also joins a select group of Decemberists songs to feature horns in some degree (RE: "I Don't Mind," "The Perfect Crime #1"). I don't have too much to say about "Sonnet" that would be considered flattering.

As far as b-side EP's go, this is one Decemberists fans will want to pick up. It's not perfect, but it has a few tracks that are indispensable --especially within the newest half of the Decemberists catalog. If you aren't a Decemberists fan, you can probably find a better starting point. Then again, how often is an EP full of b-sides a place to start for new fans?

Brian is an active musician and songwriter with the band Something with Trees and spends a lot of his time perusing around the music world in one form or another. Follow his music blog if you'd like. He also occasionally contributes to Paper Trail Music; an indie music blog out of Brooklyn.

Sources
The Decemberists Announce "Long Live the King"