The Decemberists are a Folk Rock Band lead by singer Colin Meloy. Their latest album titled The King is Dead was released January 14th, 2011.
"When you’re writing a song, you’re using language and the voice as an instrument, so the way they play off the melody and the meter of the line is really important. And while some of the words might seem out of place in a pop song, I don’t necessarily think of them as being overly strange or obscure words." -(Colin Meloy interview from www.avclub.com)
“What's remarkable is how much richness and beauty the group has folded into the 40-minute album: The melodies are sticky, the harmonies sumptuous, the arrangements (centering on guitars, fiddle, accordion, harmonica and pedal steel) unfussy.” -Will Hermes rollingstone.com
Front man Colin Meloy has listed inspirations such as Anne Briggs, Nic Jones, and Shirley Collins. The three helped lead the British Folk Revival in the 1960's. There was two parts in the The British Folk Revival, the first happened between 1890-1920 and the second was 1945-1969. The Revival was a result of people protesting the different social classes in the British Society.
He has also said to be inspired by Steven Patrick Morrisey from the band The Smiths. Morrisey has been known for controversial criticism of many political figures.
Altogether the distinct band has released 6 albums including the Album Castaways and Cutouts. Castaways and Cutouts was released on May 21st, 2002. The Album includes the song Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect.
Sources
Image from http://thedadada.com/category/music-review/page/2/
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/the-king-is-dead-20110112
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_decemberists
http://www.avclub.com/articles/colin-meloy-of-the-decemberists,50141/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_British_Folk_Revival
