After a well-deserved four year break, the Decemberists have returned, sounding mature yet fresh. What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World is the first album from this band to come around in a while that really feels like a true Decemberists album. By that I mean, it's not the Americana one, it's not the one that's basically a long play, it's not the one based on a Japanese folk tale--it's just the band sounding like themselves.
Colin Meloy's lyrical wit is as sharp as ever here, though opening number "The Singer Addresses His Audience" may be a bit too meta for some. Lead single "Make You Better" did little to keep expectations for this album measured, as it stands among their best work ever, with its gorgeous harmonies and big, movie-end-credits type chorus. Elsewhere on the album, "Carolina Low" echoes Fleetwood Mac's "Oh Daddy," while "The Wrong Year" could end up sounding like a bad '90s song in the wrong hands, thankfully it avoids that fate here. On the other hand, the album does have a few parts that meander, such as "Till The Water's All Long Gone," and generally doesn't have the same number of memorable songs as their previous efforts. Overall, What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World sounds like a more mature version of the band behind Castaways and Cutouts; and while the songs about medieval sailors have been replaced by songs about fatherhood, the end result is every bit as good.
Grade: B+
If you haven't yet seen the priceless video for "Make You Better" with Nick Offerman, here it is, and enjoy.
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