"The Decemberists and the Art of Modern Mythmaking"
(Artist report)
Written by: Ginny Gaines
If you want to understand The Decemberists, you have to understand that they have never been just another rock band. They are storytellers first and musicians second. Their songs can sound like old folk tales, American country music, indie rock, or even a little bit of progressive rock. Sometimes their songs are funny. Sometimes they are sad. Sometimes they are strange. And sometimes they sound like something that could have been written hundreds of years ago. That unusual combination is what has made The Decemberists one of the most interesting bands to come out of the American indie-rock scene.
The story began in Portland, Oregon, around 2000 with singer and songwriter Colin Meloy. Before The Decemberists, Meloy had been part of a band called Tarkio in Montana. After moving to Portland, he began putting together a new musical project. He eventually connected with bassist Nate Query, keyboard player Jenny Conlee, and guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Chris Funk. John Moen later became the band's drummer. Together, they developed a sound that didn't fit neatly into one musical category. There were guitars and drums, but there were also piano, accordion, keyboards, and other instruments that gave the music an old-fashioned and sometimes almost theatrical feeling.
Even the band's name tells you something about them. The word "Decemberists" refers to the Decembrist Revolt in Russia in 1825. That historical connection fits perfectly with Colin Meloy's songwriting because he has always been interested in history, old stories, literature, folklore, and unusual characters. Instead of writing only about what was happening in his own life, Meloy often wrote songs about sailors, soldiers, lovers, criminals, ghosts, historical figures, and people caught up in strange situations. Listening to a Decemberists album can sometimes feel more like reading a book or watching a play than listening to a traditional rock record.
The band released its first EP, 5 Songs, in 2001. Its first full album, Castaways and Cutouts, followed in 2002. From the beginning, The Decemberists were different. Their music had a strong folk influence, but it wasn't simply traditional folk music. There were elements of indie rock, country, British and Irish folk music, Americana, and theatrical music. Their next albums, Her Majesty the Decemberists in 2003 and Picaresque in 2005, helped them build a larger following. Fans began discovering that there was something special about a band that could tell complicated stories while still making songs that were catchy and enjoyable.
Then came a major turning point in 2006 with The Crane Wife. This was the album that helped take The Decemberists from being a respected indie band to becoming a much bigger national act. The album was inspired in part by Japanese folklore and showed just how ambitious the group could be. The songs were bigger and more complicated, but they still had the folk and storytelling qualities that made the band unique. The album received strong critical attention, and NPR listeners eventually selected it as their favorite album of 2006.
Three years later, the band went even further with The Hazards of Love. This wasn't simply an album filled with unrelated songs. It was designed as one connected story, with recurring characters and musical themes. The record was dramatic, sometimes dark, and much heavier than some of the band's earlier work. It had folk music, rock, long songs, and almost theatrical performances. It was the kind of album that demanded attention from the listener. Instead of giving people ten simple songs, The Decemberists gave them a musical story that unfolded from beginning to end.
After that ambitious project, the band changed direction again. In 2011, they released The King Is Dead. Compared with The Hazards of Love, this album was much more straightforward. It leaned heavily into American roots music, folk, and country-rock. One of its best-known songs was "Down by the Water," which featured R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck and singer Gillian Welch. The album became a major commercial success and reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200, giving The Decemberists their first album to reach the top of that chart.
The band continued changing and experimenting. In 2015, they released What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World. In 2018 came I'll Be Your Girl, which brought more synthesizers and electronic sounds into their music. Around this same period, Colin Meloy continued working on books and other projects. He had always had a strong connection to literature, and that side of his personality was clearly connected to the way he wrote songs. His music often felt like it came from the mind of someone who loved novels, myths, history books, and old folk tales.
One particularly interesting side project came in 2017 when Meloy and members of The Decemberists worked with English singer and musician Olivia Chaney under the name Offa Rex. Their album, The Queen of Hearts, focused on traditional English, Irish, and Scottish songs. It was another example of how deeply The Decemberists were connected to traditional music. They weren't simply copying the past. They were taking older songs and musical ideas and giving them a new life.
Then The Decemberists disappeared from the studio for several years. Six years passed between I'll Be Your Girl and their next studio album. When they finally returned in 2024, they came back with one of their most ambitious records yet, As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again. Released on June 14, 2024, it was the band's first double album and contained many of the musical ideas that had defined their career. There were folk songs, rock songs, roots music, emotional ballads, and another huge piece of music called "Joan in the Garden," which runs close to 20 minutes.
That long song is especially important because it shows that The Decemberists haven't lost the adventurous spirit that made them famous. "Joan in the Garden" takes inspiration from Joan of Arc and the novel The Book of Joan. It moves through different musical sections and gives the band room to stretch out. For longtime fans, it was almost like hearing the band look back at its own history and say, "We're still here, and we're still willing to take chances."
One of the most interesting things about The Decemberists is that their music can sound complicated without necessarily being difficult to enjoy. You don't have to understand every historical reference or recognize every literary connection to enjoy the songs. You can simply listen to the melodies and stories. But if you decide to dig deeper, there is usually another layer waiting underneath. That's part of the fun. A song that sounds like a simple folk tune might actually be telling a story about a historical event, a fictional character, or an old legend.
Colin Meloy's voice is another major part of the band's identity. It isn't the kind of polished rock voice that you might hear from a traditional arena-rock singer. Instead, it sounds personal and distinctive. You know you're listening to The Decemberists almost immediately. His voice, combined with the band's unusual instrumentation, gives the group a personality that is difficult to duplicate.
The band's live shows have also become an important part of their reputation. The Decemberists don't simply stand on stage and play songs one after another. Their concerts can include humor, storytelling, audience participation, and theatrical moments. Because so many of their songs tell stories, their performances can sometimes feel like a mixture of a rock concert and a stage production.
After more than two decades, The Decemberists have created something pretty remarkable. They have never allowed themselves to be locked into one musical style. They can make a quiet folk song one minute and a huge progressive-rock piece the next. They can sing about American life, Russian history, Japanese folklore, old English ballads, death, love, humor, and strange fictional characters—and somehow it all still sounds like The Decemberists.
That's probably the best way to describe their legacy. They proved that a rock band doesn't have to follow the usual rules. They showed that songs can be stories, albums can be adventures, and a band can look backward into history while still making modern music.
The Decemberists are not just a band you listen to—they are a band you explore. Every album opens another door. Behind that door is another story, another character, another strange piece of history, or another musical surprise. And after more than twenty-five years, Colin Meloy and The Decemberists are still doing what they have always done best: taking listeners somewhere else through the power of a good song and an even better story.
That will do it for this report about The Decemberist. Thank you for reading and in closing, please know, Soundwave Music Media will be here and we will always do our best to bring you the rock music report. Please consider supporting our Soundwave Foundation with a donation! Rock On! Until next time...🤘
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Written By: Ginny Gaines
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