As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again
The Decemberists’ first album in six years feels like a homecoming. After the somber and reflective *What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World* in 2015 and the synth-laden protest songs of 2018’s *I’ll Be Your Girl*, their ninth LP, *As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again*—their first-ever double album—is a freewheeling and deeply pleasurable odyssey through the Portland folk-rockers’ estimable history. No stone in the band’s past is left unturned here: There are echoes of the wistfulness that drew so many listeners in circa 2002’s instant classic *Castaways and Cutouts*, as well as the flamboyant instrumentation and arched-eyebrow storytelling that marked 2005’s star-making *Picaresque*. Even *As It Ever Was*’ stormy and surprisingly bruising closer, the nearly 20-minute “Joan in the Garden,” instantly recalls the band’s 2009 proggy opus *The Hazards of Love* in its “Aqualung”-esque stomp, complete with meaty guitar riffs. At first glance, Colin Meloy and co. are doing a lot across the ample framework of *As It Ever Was*—but their successfully executed sense of ambition is perfectly complemented by the sweet musical simplicity of these 13 songs, some of Meloy’s most straightforwardly gorgeous music put to tape. Accompanied by The Shins’ James Mercer and R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills, the easy jangle of “Burial Ground” is practically The Decemberists’ own take on The Byrds’ classic “Turn! Turn! Turn!” while “America Made Me” leavens Meloy’s acerbic sociopolitical observations with a horn-laden bar-band boisterousness. “Don’t want stunning wordplay/All I want is you,” Meloy nakedly intones on “All I Want Is You,” perhaps a cheeky self-referential moment towards his own penchant for lyrical verbosity. But *As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again* reaffirms that The Decemberists are at their strongest when embracing their most long-held creative tendencies.
On their first new album in six years, the folk troubadours balance out-of-time balladry with a mature sensibility that’s attuned to melancholy and mortality in the present.
On their first new album in six years, the folk troubadours balance out-of-time balladry with a mature sensibility that’s attuned to melancholy and mortality in the present.
The Decemberists' ninth album, 'As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again,' features Colin Meloy’s sharpest songwriting in more than a decade.
The Decemberists' ninth album, 'As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again,' features Colin Meloy’s sharpest songwriting in more than a decade.
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The Decemberists' 'As It Ever Was, So It Will Be' indulges the right indulgences (mostly) but makes space for the group to speak with tenderness and gravitas.
The Decemberists' 'As It Ever Was, So It Will Be' indulges the right indulgences (mostly) but makes space for the group to speak with tenderness and gravitas.
The Decemberists - As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again review: As it ever was (more or less)
The Decemberists - As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again review: As it ever was (more or less)