Eighth full-length from Portland indie rock heavy hitters The Decemberists, and first since 2015’s What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World. This time around the band linked with producer John Congleton (David Byrne, Blondie, St. Vincent), who outfitted the crew with an arsenal of synths that lend a certain freshness to their tried and true guitar-centric aesthetic. The result is a fresh take on the band’s influential, mature sound… something of a 2018 version of New Order or Roxy Music. Much of the album’s lyrics tackle frustrations emanating from the 2016 election, but delivered in Colin Meloy’s signature cadence; somewhere between heartfelt confession and satire: “It was about finding the balance between real rage and humour – discovering the wild absurdity in it, but not being blithe” says the singer. This blue colored vinyl pressing is an indie-exclusive, housed in full-color gatefold jacket with download card.

• blue colored vinyl
• indie-exclusive pressing
• gatefold jacket
• digital download included
• limited edition
• music label: Capitol Records 2018

reviewed by plain tiger 03/2018