The influence of guest celebrity member Peter Buck is powerful on this one, making The Decembrists more accessible, but much less interesting. Now they sound like everything else on WXRT, where Springsteen-ified "Down By The Water" is in heavy rotation. "Down by the water down by the old main drag" is a good line but also obvious. Quirky sea shanties like "Rox In The Box"**** are now rarities and sound like throwbacks to more interesting times. This album is absolutely soaked in harmonies, as asset gone wrong and heavy-handed when every one has the same mix and texture. On "June Hymn" (and maybe "Rox In The Box") they sound like they may be auto-tuned, which would be a baffling move for such a talented bunch. But back to Peter Buck, "Calamity Song" is just an altered photocopy of "Talk About The Passion", or just about everything on Life's Rich Pageant; the general background jangle of "This Is Why We Fight" shows the influence in a less-direct way. In streamlining their approach, the band has fully embraced alt-country, with vigor on the stomping opener "Don't Carry It All"**** and full-on hoe down "All Arise!"****, and with quiet competence on "Rise To Me" (a la The Jayhawks), "January Hymn", and the appropriately sedate closer "Dear Avery".
Comments