A truly successful EP is a rare thing. It needs to balance its four-to-six-song playlist with both conciseness and a sense of artistic purpose and statement. It’s even more surprising and exciting to see such a balance from the Decemberists, a band associated with anything but. The Portland outfit is most commonly associated with albums like _The Crane Wife_: complex, long song suites integrating storytelling from Japanese and Amercian folklore into sonic settings of European folk, Bavarian dancehall, and Jethro Tull-style excessive prog. Frontman Colin Meloy is the hyper-literary narrator, lending gravity and storytelling finesse to 11-minute epics like “The Island.” Usually this distinct
sound has worked, but on 2009’s _The Hazards of Love_, the band overextended itself, with a plot of fairy queens and shape-shifting forest creatures that was as plodding and ridiculous as its sounds.
This year’s _The King is Dead_ was a sparkling return to form: a breezy, concise piece of work that abandoned any narrative and went for clean, enjoyable alternative-rock with hints of R.E.M and the BoDeans. Long Live the King, the group’s latest, is a complementing EP comprised of demos from the sessions of its source album, but holds up so well on its own its barely noticeable. The band is incredibly tight throughout, shedding production effects of orchestras and glockenspiels and proves that a precise, stark background makes just as effective a complement to Meloy’s tales of seafarers and drifters from centuries past. “E. Watson” is an appropriately spooky 19th century murder tale set in South Florida, and shows everything the group can do well when its on top of its game. Terse, minimal guitar trappings and a respect for folk tradition create a sort of timeless antiquity made more haunting by the songs impeccable production.
Elsewhere, there’s a more modern flavor further distinguishing this material from the Decemberists’ earlier work. “Forgone” is sweet, laid back country while “I 4 U & U 4 Me” is much more rolling and organic than its Prince-like title would indicate. “Sonnet” should please older fans, however. It’s a nice dash of humor and literary homage that the group balances so well.
_Long Live the King_ is further proof of the Decemberists moving toward a cleaner, more precise sound, so it’s a shame it’s the last release from a group announcing a multi-year hiatus from recording and touring.
