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The King Is Dead

The Decemberists

The King Is Dead

Sixth album from the Portland, Oregon indie folk five-piece fronted by Colin Meloy

ADM rating[?]

7.3

Label
Beggars
UK Release date
17/01/2011
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  1. 10.0 |   A.V. Club

    The King Is Dead spreads 10 songs across 40 minutes, and there isn’t a bum track in the bunch
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  2. 9.0 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    The sublime majesty of The King Is Dead is not something you will want to let go of anytime soon
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  3. 9.0 |   FasterLouder

    There are no dull moments on this record; this could, essentially, be one of the band’s finest records to date
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  4. 9.0 |   The Observer

    Exquisitely simple, country-inflected melodies chiming with pastoral sentiments. It might be their most affecting yet
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  5. 8.0 |   Independent on Sunday

    It's lovely to fall asleep to. Which is a compliment, not a complaint
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  6. 8.0 |   The Guardian

    A relatively understated delight from a band few might have suspected capable of understatement
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  7. 8.0 |   The Independent

    Extract to follow.
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  8. 8.0 |   Consequence Of Sound

    A pleasant, introspective stroll through the cottonwoods whose creaky comfort gets The Decemberists out of their comfort zone
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  9. 8.0 |   Evening Standard

    This is a near-classic of country rock
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  10. 8.0 |   PopMatters

    More impressive for its consistency and quiet confidence than anything they’ve done in years
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  11. 8.0 |   The Scotsman

    A seemingly effortless charmer
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  12. 8.0 |   Rave Magazine

    The audience wins when bands realise that less is more
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  13. 8.0 |   Rolling Stone

    A chance to see how deep simplicity goes. Very deep, it turns out
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  14. 8.0 |   Blurt

    Makes the Decemberists more likeable to non-geeks without compromising their essential artistic vision
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  15. 8.0 |   Daily Telegraph

    The Decemberists blend rock and folk well and the songwriting crafts pastoral and emotional imaginery into tight-knit, attractive songs
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  16. 8.0 |   State

    The Decemberists have reclaimed their place in the pantheon of great American roots acts
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  17. 8.0 |   DIY

    Containing some of the strongest one off moments in The Decemberists' repertoire to date
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  18. 8.0 |   The Skinny

    They’ve taken the core elements of folk songs and sea shanties that gave them such a timeless quality and infused them with an oddly palatable sheen via the cunning insertion of big guitar licks
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  19. 8.0 |   musicOMH

    Might seem a less substantial work when compared to the towering (albeit overstuffed) previous efforts, but honestly it's nice to see The Decemberists get back to being a rock band
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  20. 8.0 |   Mojo

    The haunted English folk songs of The Hazards Of Love have been replaced by a more robust Americana. Print edition only

  21. 8.0 |   AU Review

    A touching, masterful record that sounds as fresh as it does weathered and as modern as it does traditional
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  22. 8.0 |   Uncut

    Neil Young and REM are just two of the influences on these stirring blasts of country rock
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  23. 8.0 |   Rolling Stone

    A chance to see how deep simplicity goes. Very deep, it turns out
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  24. 8.0 |   No Ripcord

    A highly recommended collection of songs
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  25. 8.0 |   State

    The Decemberists have reclaimed their place in the pantheon of great American roots acts
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  26. 7.4 |   Beats Per Minute

    The King is Dead is a few layers of vocal harmony away from being a Fleet Foxes record, which is fine, but the Decemberists are at their best when they sound like themselves
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  27. 7.2 |   Pitchfork

    A clean and meticulously crafted album; the production is smooth and the performances are unnervingly error-free
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  28. 7.0 |   The Quietus

    Rambunctious melodrama and soaring melodies enhanced by the presence of a hitherto untapped quality: subtlety
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  29. 7.0 |   Clash

    A finessed folk-rock record
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  30. 7.0 |   Under The Radar

    Feels more like a full-band Decemberists album than nearly anything they've done before, and much less like The Colin Meloy Show of the last two records
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  31. 7.0 |   Pitchfork

    This album is accomplished and a great listen, but in losing their quirkiness and bold concepts they have also somewhat lost the one thing that set them apart from the crowd
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  32. 7.0 |   Slant Magazine

    The King Is Dead drops the Decemberists's fussy, often overworked period-piece fetish and aims for the accessibility of American folk music
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  33. 7.0 |   The Digital Fix

    Though we may mourn the loss of the quirkiness that was a big part of their success, The King Is Dead is a sometimes fine and moving album
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  34. 7.0 |   Prefix

    Represents the embrace of simplicity as part of a larger stylistic shift
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  35. 7.0 |   Entertainment.ie

    May offer little challenge to the discerning Decemberists fan, they'll no doubt still be satisfied with a quality alt-rock album that achieves its purpose with flair and precision
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  36. 7.0 |   Spin

    Ten crisp roots-rock tunes in a mere 40 minutes, The King Is Dead finds the Decemberists in serious course-correction mode -- which is a relief, if also kind of sad
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  37. 6.5 |   Bowlegs

    The Decemberists are back where they belong, and though at times they play it little on the generic side, at least there is more to like than not
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  38. 6.0 |   The Irish Times

    As consistently solid as this album is, it’s missing the juxtaposition between the lofty peaks and sinister troughs that they have perfected so well in the past
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  39. 6.0 |   The Fly

    Following 2009’s rather baffling songcycle ‘The Hazards Of Love’, it’s no surprise to find this Portland outfit yearning for simplicity
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  40. 6.0 |   Q

    Couched in straightforward Americana. Print edition only

  41. 6.0 |   BBC

    [They] set out to write an homage to R.E.M. and seems to have succeeded a little too well
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  42. 4.0 |   Scotland on Sunday

    Solid and efficient but unremarkable in every way
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  43. 4.0 |   Eye Weekly

    There’s a lack of emotion in the chilly pastorals
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  44. 4.0 |   NME

    Pure turgid Americana pastiche
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  45. 2.0 |   Tiny Mix Tapes

    The Decemberists can have their rural fling for an evening, but they better be back here in the bowery tomorrow with all the chimbley sweeps and sad legionnaires
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  46. Back to main chart

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The Decemberists: The King Is Dead

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  • 1. Don't Carry It All £0.89
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  • 6. Down By The Water £0.89
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  • 8. June Hymn £0.89
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