User Score
Generally favorable reviews- based on 74 Ratings
User score distribution:
-
Positive: 66 out of 74
-
Mixed: 4 out of 74
-
Negative: 4 out of 74
Buy Now
Review this album
-
-
Please sign in or create an account before writing a review.
-
-
Submit
-
Check Spelling
- User score
- By date
- Most helpful
-
Jun 6, 2011
-
Feb 24, 2011
-
Jan 22, 2011This is an awesome album. One of my favorites from The Decemberists. They finally switched up their genre and the rock/pop feeling they go for is nailed perfectly. There is no weak track in this entire album and is worth every cent. Buy it.
-
Jan 24, 2011
-
Jan 25, 2011Not surprisingly, "The King is Dead" is one of my favorite albums from the past decade, and is certainly in the running for album of the year, despite the fact that it's still January. The Decemberists were already at the top of my radar, and then they come out with this country sound they've made uniquely theirs, as they are so apt to do.
-
Jan 19, 2011Well, The Decemberists new release, "The King Is Dead", is a countrified- folk rock wonder. This album is just fantastic. After the first few seconds I was reminded of Tarkio, an alternative country band that Colin Meloy headed before The Decemberists. A fantastic album, not a single weak track on it.
-
May 30, 2011Maybe some of the band's quirkiness and complex ambition has taken a back seat for "The King Is Dead". That said,Meloy's skilful song writing remains intact and for much of this album his creations remain deeply engaging. http://hackskeptic.com
-
Jan 26, 2011What a pleasure it is to hear something refreshing and "alive". The Decemberists stick to their roots, while expanding their sound to something that I crave on a daily basis. Cudos to the Harmonica parts, where I can plug in the headphones and drift off to a place only few can take me.
-
Jan 26, 2011
-
Feb 4, 2011
-
Feb 23, 2011For The King Is Dead, elaborateness gives way to restraint, and it works. Oh yes...thank goodness we still have some of those noble history-recalling Decemberists lyrics we all love. But we also get a direct and hefty dose of R.E.M. influence in the person of that bandâ
-
Apr 27, 2011
-
Jan 8, 2012This album has a concept. Which is good. But a little boring. Actually, the change of music style (rock-central base folk) don't move the band forward, but the CD continues to be great, but don't have the greatness of their first, "Her Majesty The Decemberists" or even "The Hazards of Love".
-
Apr 30, 2012
-
Jul 14, 2012This is Colin Meloy's excellent songwriting, sans the inane Baroque love stories and overly embellished vocabulary. Definitely their most accessible release to date, which surely means some of their longtime fans will probably hate it because it's too "mainstream" or something. You'll like it, though.
-
Dec 15, 2012If you like The Decemberists you are sure to love this album! It's the perfect blend of country influences, folk and alternative rock. I really have no complains about the album. Each song is good in its own way and this album is definitely worth you money.
Awards & Rankings
-
MojoApr 12, 2011Portland's college-rock heirs downsize with Peter Buck-featuring sixth album. [Feb. 2011, p. 106]
-
Mar 9, 2011A good few years on from the rise and partial Fall of the Decemberists, Meloy and Co. are managing, still, to carry the fire.
-
Q MagazineFeb 1, 2011The Decemberists have never sounded more ordinary. [Feb. 2011, p. 114]