The Decemberists
The King is Dead
Capitol Records
(Editor's note: The sad fact of the matter is that I have a very demanding job which leaves me very little, if any, time to write blogs. I restarted The Midpoint with the hopes that simply having dominion over a small slice of the web would guilt me into regular posting. Several months later I see that isn't the case, sadly. I will do what I can, starting with my favorite thing to write about, new(ish) music! I don't care that it's almost March of 2012, I'm going to write about my favorite albums of 2011 in alphabetical order by band name.)
I'm in the middle of a fantastic book my wife bought me for Christmas entitled Boozehound. It was written by the Washington Posts' spirits writer (Wait, that's a job?! Is anyone hiring more of these?) In the book, the author frequently discusses the speakeasy trend sweeping the nation. I've encountered a few during my travels myself. They will serve ol-timey spirits and they won't serve vodka with redbull or men with hats. The bartender will likely have a bowtie and possibly sleeve garters and a handlebar mustache. There may even be a password to get in.
Some of these places are truly trying to recapture the lost art of bartending - the pre-prohibition form of it which was as respected as culinary mastery. The delicate art of using powerful old spirits with subtle flavors as a sort of reaction to the Jager shotification of American drinking. Some of them are simply following the latest retro trend, which will eventually be replaced by, I don't know, bareknuckle boxing?
In the past, while I had enjoyed a great many Decemberists songs, I firmly placed them in the latter category. Quirk for quirk's sake, retro as just another flavor. The King is Dead has shaken me from that (unfair) judgement. Years into their career, they have established their sound as a fine mix of very diverse elements, and the sincerity of the lyrics and the emotions decribed therein dismiss my concerns of quirk for quirks sake. The King is Dead is another pleasant surprise in a year full of them.
Down by the Water
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