Long Live the King [EP]
by The Decemberists
  • Record Label: Capitol
  • Release Date: Nov 1, 2011
Metascore
66

Generally favorable reviews - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
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  1. Uncut
    Nov 23, 2011
    60
    The best moments [from The King Is Dead] are woefully unlucky not to have made the cut.
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  2. Under The Radar
    Nov 23, 2011
    50
    Long Live the King, the collection of leftovers from that album [The King is Dead], continues that same stripped-down trajectory with mixed results.
  3. Beats Per Minute
    Nov 21, 2011
    51
    Sure, there is not a bad tune in the bunch, but the problem is that there isn't a particularly good one here, either.
  5. Absolute Punk (Staff reviews)
    Nov 17, 2011
    85
    Overall, the EP works wonders, given largely to the fact that it contains unreleased tracks from sessions of the band's greatest, most straightforward work to date.
  6. PopMatters
    Nov 17, 2011
    60
    This is the sort of release that can be really appealing to a band's biggest fans, the completists who want absolutely everything a group puts out.
  7. The Telegraph (UK)
    Nov 3, 2011
    80
    Those who loved The King Is Dead should certainly enjoy the EP--a sort of CD extras from a fine main production.
  8. Consequence
    Nov 1, 2011
    40
    The band sounds like they're having a great time, but the end result is markedly boring.
  9. Prefix Magazine
    Nov 1, 2011
    65
    So while it can't really stand alone, it plays awfully well with its musical sibling.
  10. The A.V. Club
    Nov 1, 2011
    91
    Any of these songs could've fit on The King Is Dead; instead, they've come together to form another excellent record.
  11. Rolling Stone
    Nov 1, 2011
    70
    On this six track EP, the Decemberists stick to the sound that made this year's The King Is Dead so tasty, leaning into rustic Americana like they're settling into an old chair.
  12. Paste Magazine
    Oct 31, 2011
    80
    Intellectual? Yes. Visceral? Absolutely. Accessible? Oddly.
  13. Sputnikmusic
    Oct 31, 2011
    70
    Long Live the King serves as a supplemental EP worthy of a glance from the casual listener, and most certainly from every fan.
  14. AllMusic
    Oct 31, 2011
    50
    The rest of the EP, outside of the brooding "Burying Davy," leans closer to that countrified feel, and while it may come off a little contrived at times, these outtakes will no doubt help to satiate fans until the group reconvenes for album number seven.
  15. Pitchfork
    Oct 31, 2011
    68
    This isn't the sound of a band closing up shop so much as tidying up the workbench before stepping out for a while.
  16. Alternative Press
    Oct 27, 2011
    60
    Long Live The King, by comparison, sounds distinctly like a cutting-room-floor exercise--a collection of outtakes left behind not in the name of aesthetic cohesion, but simply because the group had better songs more deserving of release.

User Reviews

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User Score
6.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 7 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 7
  3. Negative: 1 out of 7
  1. allanvanvliet
    Nov 7, 2011
    7
    Good, not great. There's a reason these are the B-sides, and there's a reason they weren't on "The King Is Dead." But all that said, the EP isGood, not great. There's a reason these are the B-sides, and there's a reason they weren't on "The King Is Dead." But all that said, the EP is fun and spirited, and the music is plenty enjoyable. "Foregone" is a great song.… Full Review »
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