The Decemberists – The King Is Dead [2011]
For those who weren’t on board with 2009’s lavish rock opera The Hazards of Love, Colin Meloy and company are giving you another variation on their brand of theatrical, literate indie pop. Direct Current Music and a handful of other sources report that on Jan. 11, The Decemberists will release The King Is Dead. It’s the band’s sixth full-length album, their third for Capitol Records, and most likely not their first Morrissey bon mot. Possibly attributable to the influence of special guest Peter Buck (R.E.M.), Meloy promises listeners a more straightforward, folk-rock approach on The King Is Dead — and it shows in “Down By the Water” and some of other new tunes the band has been playing live. You should still probably keep a thesaurus handy and the Wikipedia entry on the 19th century bookmarked. -Prefix Mag
Jay Farrar and Ben Gibbard – One Fast Move Or I’m Gone: Kerouac’s Big Sur [2009]
If you haven’t heard of Jay Farrar, he’s in Son Volt.
Truthfully, I haven’t read any Kerouac and I haven’t even seen the film that this soundtrack goes with. But that doesn’t really matter, this is an excellent album by itself.
Tiny Vipers – Life On Earth [2009]
http://www.myspace.com/tinyvipersss
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