The Decemberists

This Oregon-based quintet, led by Colin Meloy, has enjoyed a steady, alternative career since its debut album Castaways and Cutouts (2001). Named after an event in Russian history (the Decabrists), The Decemberists' music ranges from acoustic folk to noisy lyrical flights, and later synthetic sounds. The album Picaresque (2005) and its successor, the magnum opus The Crane Wife (2006), ranked #35 in the U.S., considerably expanded their notoriety and a very active fan base. The latter also marked the beginning of their association with producer Tucker Martine, who has since been a regular contributor to the band's sonic adventures. Prolific composer Colin Meloy is also pursuing a solo career focused on tributes to his role models (Morrissey, Sam Cooke...). In 2009, the band's fifth album The Hazards of Love marks a new milestone, reaching #14 in the U.S. and #50 in the UK. Two years later, The King Is Dead marked the pinnacle of the band's commercial trajectory, reaching #1 on the US Billboard 200 and #24 in the UK. After a four-year recording hiatus, the band returned to the charts with the album What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World (#7 in 2015). In 2017, the band teamed up with the British singer for the folk project Offa Rex and the album The Queen of Hearts. The following year saw the release of the eighth album, I'll Be Your Girl, produced by John Congleton (No. 9), and the EP Traveling On, taken from the same sessions. Between folk and rock, The Decemberists allow themselves a nineteen-minute experimental escape with the track "Joan in the Garden", one of the extracts from the album As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again, which sees the return of Tucker Martine as producer.