Song #14 // The Decemberists “Down By the Water” [The King Is Dead]
The Decemberists surprised me (and a whole lot of other people) with The King Is Dead. While I was never necessarily against them, I was also never really a huge fan. I (like a whole lot of other people) loved “O Valencia!” but otherwise didn’t pay the band much attention.
There was also a sense that there was just a bit too much effort behind the albums, such as 2009’s concept The Hazards of Love. As an ex-friend once said years ago, “Just because you can write songs about 19th century news stories doesn’t mean you should.”
However, this LP felt effortless from the first listen. “Down By the Water” throws off my equilibrium every time it comes on my stereo. I momentarily have to realign my expectations to realize that the opening harmonica blast is not blown by Springsteen, but by a finely coiffed indie band from the Pacific Northwest. They’re here to kick ass, and they do so so efficiently and so convincingly that you have to wonder if this, too, is a concept album, or some sort of molting, leaving behind the band we always wanted underneath.
My only complaint (which isn’t a complaint so much as an observation) is that the band does veer a bit too close to jangly R.E.M. territory on several tracks, making me question their sincere originality. Having Peter Buck on board doesn’t hurt this hunch, especially as “Calamity Song” features an opening doppelganger to R.E.M.’s “Talk About the Passion” and the backbeat refrain to “Down By the Water” echos “The One I Love” nearly note for note.
Still, this is pure stuff, and they could be emulating (err, imitating) much worse. Regardless of the roots, this album reaches up and flowers in the heat of summer with windows down and bare feet running through dewy grass, tumbling toward the lazy afternoons ahead.
