Jeff's Best of 2024 - #4: The Decemberists - As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again

I'm not sure if you've noticed, but The Decemberists have been one of the most consistently great bands for close to 20 years now.

As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again is their first new album since 2018's I'll Be Your Girl, and their return to the indie world after a bunch of albums for Capitol Records. You will be surprised to learn that The Decemberists still sound like The Decemberists - Colin Meloy's literary lyricism, the sort of off-kilter sea-folk sound, and something completely off the rails; in this case, the 20-minute epic "Joan in the Garden," which goes into a prog-style final act after a noisy drone part. "Long White Veil" and "Burial Ground" feel classic, "Oh No!" sounds like the Booker Prize version of Squirrel Nut Zippers' "Hell," and "Don't Go to the Woods" the sort of murderfolk-adjacent thing that so many songwriters try and fail at.

As It Ever Was is The Decemberists at their most Picaresque, and it's a welcome return.

Songs of Note: "Burial Ground," "Oh No!," "Long White Veil," "The Black Maria," "All I Want Is You"