The King Is Dead (album)

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The King Is Dead
The Decemberists - The King Is Dead.jpg
Studio album by
The Decemberists
ReleasedJanuary 14, 2011 (2011-01-14) [1]
RecordedEarly 2010
StudioPendarvis Farm, near Portland, Oregon
Genre Indie folk, indie rock, folk rock, Americana [2]
Length40:26
Label Capitol and Rough Trade
Producer Tucker Martine
The Decemberists chronology
The Hazards of Love
(2009)		The King Is Dead
(2011)		 Live at Bull Moose
(2011)
Singles from The King Is Dead
  1. "Down by the Water"
    Released: November 2010
  2. "This Is Why We Fight"
    Released: January 25, 2011 [3]
  3. "Calamity Song"
    Released: 2011

The King Is Dead is the sixth studio album by The Decemberists, released on Capitol Records on January 14, 2011. [1] Described as the "most pastoral, rustic record they've ever made" by Douglas Wolk of Rolling Stone , [4] the album reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart for the week ending February 5, 2011. [5] The song "This Is Why We Fight" reached number 19 on the U.S Alternative Songs Chart, while the song "Down by the Water" also charted in the United States. In November 2011, the band released an EP of album out-takes, entitled Long Live the King .

Contents

Prior to the album's release, frontman Colin Meloy stated: "If there's anything academic about this record, or me trying to force myself in a direction, it was realising that the last three records were really influenced by the British folk revival [...] this whole world that I was discovering, that I was poring over, learning inside-out. It was a wanting to get away from that. And looking back into more American traditions, reconnecting with more American music." [6]

Background

The King Is Dead was recorded during spring 2010, [7] with most of it being made in a six-week period in a barn at an 80-acre (320,000 m2) site called Pendarvis Farm, near Portland, Oregon. [4] It has been speculated that the album title is an homage to The Smiths' 1986 album The Queen Is Dead , [8] largely due to Colin Meloy's long-touted influence from the band. [9] It was co-produced by Tucker Martine. [4] “The Calamity Song” premiered in a live performance on August 6, 2009 at the Cabaret Metro in Chicago. [10] At least three of the ten songs—"Down by the Water", "Rise to Me" and "June Hymn"—were performed live in 2010. [11] Meloy has said that a primary musical influence for much of The King Is Dead is R.E.M., [12] and three songs, "Don't Carry It All", "Calamity Song" and "Down by the Water", feature the R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck. [13] The album was released on January 18, 2011. [14] The King Is Dead has been called the "most pastoral, rustic record they've ever made" by Douglas Wolk of Rolling Stone . [4] On January 26, 2011, it became their first No. 1 album on the U.S. album chart. [15]

On November 1, 2011, the outtakes EP Long Live the King was released, collecting six songs recorded during these sessions.

Release and reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic? 7.3/10 [16]
Metacritic 77/100 [17]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [18]
The A.V. Club A [19]
The Daily Telegraph Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [20]
Entertainment Weekly A− [21]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [22]
The Independent Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [23]
NME 4/10 [24]
Pitchfork 7.2/10 [25]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [26]
Spin 7/10 [27]

The King Is Dead debuted atop the Billboard 200 and sold 94,000 copies in its first week, making it the band's most commercially successful album. [28]

The album received positive reviews from critics. It received a 77 out of 100 on Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Uncut placed the album at number 26 on its list of "Top 50 albums of 2011", [29] while Rolling Stone ranked the album the 7th best of 2011. [30]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Colin Meloy

No.TitleLength
1."Don't Carry It All"4:17
2."Calamity Song"3:50
3."Rise to Me"4:59
4."Rox in the Box"3:10
5."January Hymn"3:14
6."Down by the Water"3:42
7."All Arise!"3:10
8."June Hymn"3:58
9."This Is Why We Fight"5:30
10."Dear Avery"4:52
Total length:40:26

Personnel

According to the liner notes of The King Is Dead.

The Decemberists

Additional musicians

Production

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [48] Gold500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

CountryDateLabelFormatCatalog
United StatesJanuary 14, 2011 Capitol Records Vinyl LP 42727 [1]
United KingdomJanuary 17, 2011 Rough Trade Records, Capitol Records Compact Disc RTRADCDX656 [49]
United StatesJanuary 18, 2011Capitol Records50999 9 47547 2 8 [50]

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References

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  3. ↑ Radiol1 Rodos Greece ::: USA Forthcoming Singles
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  5. ↑ "Billboard 200 Week-Ending Feb 5 '11". Billboard . Feb 5, 2011.
  6. ↑ Barton, Laura (January 6, 2011). "The Decemberists: The changing of the seasons". The Guardian. London.
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  9. ↑ Luerssen, John D. (November 3, 2010). "The Decemberists Announce 'The King Is Dead' Album, Offer Free Song". Spinner . Archived from the original on January 12, 2012. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
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  50. ↑ Capitol CD release @ Discogs
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