Critical Voices: The Decemberists, Long Live the King

After 2009’s prog-influenced rock opera The Hazards of Love added a sludgy, blues-metal lower end to the Decemberists’ literary indie-folk, the band seems to have settled into a country motif over their last two releases, The King is Dead and the recently released Long Live the King EP. But where the western influences on The King is Dead felt like a natural extension of the Decemberists’ already folky style, Long Live the King seems to be built from awkward outtakes from the album, many of them failing to materialize into fully convincing songs.
“Burying Davy” and “Row Jimmy” are the most apparent victims of the Decemberists’ genre confusion. Both songs are impossibly slow and manage to sound simultaneously flat and twangy. The lyrics don’t make up for the lackluster melodies. For example, “Davy” repeatedly references “screws and spades” and “weepin’ weeds” in a poor attempt to convey the raw emotion of the Wild West.
One song, however, manages to produce a new indie-country sound while avoiding manufactured twang. Album opener “E. Watson” tells of another western tragedy, but this time the sound and lyrics are grittier, making the song more interesting, if not more authentic.
The greatest success of the album moves in another direction entirely, harkening back to the band’s old work. “I 4 U & U 4 Me,” with its cheery lyrics, upbeat rhythm, and hopeful melody, gives listeners a much-needed respite from dreary western themes. “Sonnet” is another love song that closes the EP on a slower, happier note.
The Decemberists are evidently moving in new direction, crossing continents and genres to reach the American West.  Long Live the King offers a disconcerting mix of the band’s usual folksy indie style and a new, at times awkward, country sound. In the end, Decemberists fans listening to the EP are likely to have some respect for a band experimenting with a different genre. This respect, however, is likely to be drowned out by an overwhelming nostalgia for the band’s old cheerful and folksy work, produced before their apparent identity crisis.