Features
Tuesday, December 20 2011
The Best Americana of 2011
If you ask a critic or music fan to define Americana, be prepared for an avalanche of diverse responses of opinion. Still, there remain some constant benchmarks, such as pedal steel, fiddle, acoustic guitars -- and good songwriting.
Friday, December 18 2009
The Best 60 Albums of 2009
PopMatters presents our 60 best albums of 2009, highlighted by a bevy of American indie rock juggernauts, the return of a hip-hop master, and a couple of the finest voices on the planet.
Friday, December 18 2009
The Best Singles of 2009
PopMatters kicks off our annual two-week-long best music of the year feature with the 50 best singles of 2009, highlighted by a trio of American indie rock headliners.
Tuesday, March 25 2008
"You Can Only Sweat or Spit or Kick So Many People": An Interview with Colin Meloy
The Decemberist explains the virtues of cover songs, the senselessness of going solo, and that he's saving the crazy stuff for later.
Saturday, December 23 2006
Best Albums of 2006
At long last, the annual rite of passage, the "best of" list... Here's PopMatters picks for the best 60 records of 2006.
Reviews
Thursday, November 17 2011
The Decemberists: Long Live the King
A solid and interesting, but ultimately inessential bookend that collects the odds and ends from the band's recording sessions for The King Is Dead.
Thursday, August 25 2011
The Decemberists: iTunes Session EP
The iTunes Session EP, with its almost exact recreation of album cuts, all but makes more real and palatable a possible lack of creativity with the band.
Wednesday, July 27 2011
Telluride Bluegrass Festival: 16 - 19 June 2011 (Saturday)
Four days of sun, banjos, snow, Mumfords, fiddles, and rock gods at 10,000 feet where, by Saturday, things get challenging.
Monday, January 17 2011
The Decemberists: The King Is Dead
The Decemberists right themselves after veering off course with the leaden The Hazards of Love, creating an album more consistently pleasing than anything they've done in years.
Monday, March 23 2009
The Decemberists: The Hazards of Love
Beware! Here there be shape-shifters, amoral rakes, an ill-tempered Queen, and a hell of a well-executed rock opera.
Blogs
Friday, September 9 2011
Decemberists’ Colin Meloy Tunes into Book World with ‘Wildwood’
“The Decemberists will be pretty quiet for a bit,” said Colin Meloy, adding that it will be a few years before fans see another record. In the meantime, Meloy plans to give this series of at least three books, which begins with Wildwood, his full attention.
Monday, November 8 2010
The Decemberists - The King Is Dead (new album / MP3)
The Decemberists have just released information on their follow-up to 2009's excellent The Hazards of Love. Their new album, The King Is Dead is set…
News
Monday, October 12 2009
The Decemberists' latest inspiration: a single album-length song
Almost by definition, pop music is viewed as an easily digestible commodity. It commands that you stick to a familiar and accessible theme, conjure an…
Tuesday, October 6 2009
The Decemberists' latest inspiration: a single album-length song
Almost by definition, pop music is viewed as an easily digestible commodity. It commands that you stick to a familiar and accessible theme, conjure an…
Thursday, July 19 2007
The Decemberists string along with local orchestras
Audience size matters - even to indie-pop performers. Listen to Decemberists' bassist Nate Query talk about the band's reaction when Hollywood Bowl officials suggested earlier…
