Down By the Water

I've really been digging "Down By the Water" by The Decemberists. It's the first single off their upcoming album The King Is Dead (coming out January 18, 2011).

Let's get the best part out of the way: Gillian Welch provides backing vocals on this song. Yay! Colin + Gillian = Magnificence.

I really like the style/vibe of this single (alt-country/Americana), and I'm interested to hear if the rest of the album is similar. The Decemberists like to mix up their style a lot. Listening to Down By the Water, I hear inspirations of REM (which is fitting, because Peter Buck from REM plays 12-string on this song), Bruce Springsteen, and Neil Young. It's also reminiscent of something Ryan Adams would do.

I'm excited for The King is Dead. Sadly, their last album,The Hazards of Love, wasn't my favorite (it has it's merits, of course. But it's probably my least favorite album of theirs). If Down By the Water is any indication, I'm think I'm going to enjoy The King is Dead.

 The Decemberists - Down By The Water by hconover