You never quite know what you’re going to get with The Decemberists. The masterpiece rock opera of 2009’s Hazards
of Love? The beautiful folk of
career best Her Majesty the Decemberists from 2003? Or the somewhat dodgy previous effort from
2011 – The King is Dead – which was all twangy, twee country? What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful
World is, thankfully, one of the good ‘uns.
It is a streamlined and focussed record, which, in terms of back
catalogue recalls most obviously some of the more upbeat tracks from 2006’s The
Crane Wife. Admittedly, it is more
middle-of the-road than much of their previous work, based around an accessible
folk-indie sound. But this doesn’t make
the album feel anodyne, it makes it feel mature. The songs are consistently better crafted
than on earlier albums, while the lyrics, in contrast, are less self-conscious
and thus all the lovelier. Cold War Kids meats Beach Boys track ‘Philomena’ is a gem,
as is the ‘Lake Song’ (really soaring stuff).
A lovely, uncomplicated record.
sample track: Make You Better
sample track: Make You Better
