The King Is Dead | ||||
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![]() | ||||
Studio album by | ||||
Released | January 14, 2011[1] | |||
Recorded | Early 2010 | |||
Studio | Pendarvis Farm, near Portland, Oregon | |||
Genre | Indie folk, indie rock, folk rock, Americana [2] | |||
Length | 40:26 | |||
Label | Capitol and Rough Trade | |||
Producer | Tucker Martine | |||
The Decemberists chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from The King Is Dead | ||||
|
The King Is Dead is the sixth studio album by The Decemberists, released on Capitol Records on January 14, 2011. [1] Described as the "most pastoral, rustic record they've ever made" by Douglas Wolk of Rolling Stone, [4] the album reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart for the week ending February 5, 2011. [5] The song "This Is Why We Fight" reached number 19 on the U.S Alternative Songs Chart, while the song " Down by the Water" also charted in the United States. In November 2011, the band released an EP of album out-takes, entitled Long Live the King.
Prior to the album's release, frontman Colin Meloy stated: "If there's anything academic about this record, or me trying to force myself in a direction, it was realising that the last three records were really influenced by the British folk revival [...] this whole world that I was discovering, that I was poring over, learning inside-out. It was a wanting to get away from that. And looking back into more American traditions, reconnecting with more American music." [6]
The King Is Dead was recorded during spring 2010, [7] with most of it being made in a six-week period in a barn at an 80-acre (320,000 m2) site called Pendarvis Farm, near Portland, Oregon. [4] It has been speculated that the album title is an homage to The Smiths' 1986 album The Queen Is Dead, [8] largely due to Colin Meloy's long-touted influence from the band. [9] It was co-produced by Tucker Martine. [4] “The Calamity Song” premiered in a live performance on August 6, 2009 at the Cabaret Metro in Chicago [10]. At least three of the ten songs—"Down by the Water", "Rise to Me" and "June Hymn"—were performed live in 2010. [11] Meloy has said that a primary musical influence for much of The King Is Dead is R.E.M., [12] and three songs, "Don't Carry It All", "Calamity Song" and "Down by the Water", feature the R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck. [13] The album was released on January 18, 2011. [14] The King Is Dead has been called the "most pastoral, rustic record they've ever made" by Douglas Wolk of Rolling Stone. [4] On January 26, 2011, it became their first No. 1 album on the U.S. album chart. [15]
On November 1, 2011, the outtakes EP Long Live the King was released, collecting six songs recorded during these sessions.
![]() | This section needs expansion. You can help by
adding to it. (May 2014) |
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 7.3/10 [16] |
Metacritic | 77/100 [17] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The A.V. Club | A [19] |
The Daily Telegraph | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Entertainment Weekly | A− [21] |
The Guardian | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Independent | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
NME | 4/10 [24] |
Pitchfork | 7.2/10 [25] |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Spin | 7/10 [27] |
The King Is Dead debuted atop the Billboard 200 and sold 94,000 copies in its first week, making it the band's most commercially successful album. [28]
The album received positive reviews from critics. It received a 77 out of 100 on Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Uncut placed the album at number 26 on its list of "Top 50 albums of 2011", [29] while Rolling Stone ranked the album the 7th best of 2011. [30]
All tracks are written by Colin Meloy
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Don't Carry It All" | 4:17 |
2. | "Calamity Song" | 3:50 |
3. | "Rise to Me" | 4:59 |
4. | "Rox in the Box" | 3:10 |
5. | "January Hymn" | 3:14 |
6. | " Down by the Water" | 3:42 |
7. | "All Arise!" | 3:10 |
8. | "June Hymn" | 3:58 |
9. | "This Is Why We Fight" | 5:30 |
10. | "Dear Avery" | 4:52 |
Total length: | 40:26 |
According to the liner notes of The King Is Dead.
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United States ( RIAA) [48] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Country | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
---|---|---|---|---|
United States | January 14, 2011 | Capitol Records | Vinyl LP | 42727 [1] |
United Kingdom | January 17, 2011 | Rough Trade Records, Capitol Records | Compact Disc | RTRADCDX656 [49] |
United States | January 18, 2011 | Capitol Records | 50999 9 47547 2 8 [50] |
The King Is Dead | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Studio album by | ||||
Released | January 14, 2011[1] | |||
Recorded | Early 2010 | |||
Studio | Pendarvis Farm, near Portland, Oregon | |||
Genre | Indie folk, indie rock, folk rock, Americana [2] | |||
Length | 40:26 | |||
Label | Capitol and Rough Trade | |||
Producer | Tucker Martine | |||
The Decemberists chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from The King Is Dead | ||||
|
The King Is Dead is the sixth studio album by The Decemberists, released on Capitol Records on January 14, 2011. [1] Described as the "most pastoral, rustic record they've ever made" by Douglas Wolk of Rolling Stone, [4] the album reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart for the week ending February 5, 2011. [5] The song "This Is Why We Fight" reached number 19 on the U.S Alternative Songs Chart, while the song " Down by the Water" also charted in the United States. In November 2011, the band released an EP of album out-takes, entitled Long Live the King.
Prior to the album's release, frontman Colin Meloy stated: "If there's anything academic about this record, or me trying to force myself in a direction, it was realising that the last three records were really influenced by the British folk revival [...] this whole world that I was discovering, that I was poring over, learning inside-out. It was a wanting to get away from that. And looking back into more American traditions, reconnecting with more American music." [6]
The King Is Dead was recorded during spring 2010, [7] with most of it being made in a six-week period in a barn at an 80-acre (320,000 m2) site called Pendarvis Farm, near Portland, Oregon. [4] It has been speculated that the album title is an homage to The Smiths' 1986 album The Queen Is Dead, [8] largely due to Colin Meloy's long-touted influence from the band. [9] It was co-produced by Tucker Martine. [4] “The Calamity Song” premiered in a live performance on August 6, 2009 at the Cabaret Metro in Chicago [10]. At least three of the ten songs—"Down by the Water", "Rise to Me" and "June Hymn"—were performed live in 2010. [11] Meloy has said that a primary musical influence for much of The King Is Dead is R.E.M., [12] and three songs, "Don't Carry It All", "Calamity Song" and "Down by the Water", feature the R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck. [13] The album was released on January 18, 2011. [14] The King Is Dead has been called the "most pastoral, rustic record they've ever made" by Douglas Wolk of Rolling Stone. [4] On January 26, 2011, it became their first No. 1 album on the U.S. album chart. [15]
On November 1, 2011, the outtakes EP Long Live the King was released, collecting six songs recorded during these sessions.
![]() | This section needs expansion. You can help by
adding to it. (May 2014) |
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 7.3/10 [16] |
Metacritic | 77/100 [17] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The A.V. Club | A [19] |
The Daily Telegraph | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Entertainment Weekly | A− [21] |
The Guardian | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Independent | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
NME | 4/10 [24] |
Pitchfork | 7.2/10 [25] |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Spin | 7/10 [27] |
The King Is Dead debuted atop the Billboard 200 and sold 94,000 copies in its first week, making it the band's most commercially successful album. [28]
The album received positive reviews from critics. It received a 77 out of 100 on Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Uncut placed the album at number 26 on its list of "Top 50 albums of 2011", [29] while Rolling Stone ranked the album the 7th best of 2011. [30]
All tracks are written by Colin Meloy
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Don't Carry It All" | 4:17 |
2. | "Calamity Song" | 3:50 |
3. | "Rise to Me" | 4:59 |
4. | "Rox in the Box" | 3:10 |
5. | "January Hymn" | 3:14 |
6. | " Down by the Water" | 3:42 |
7. | "All Arise!" | 3:10 |
8. | "June Hymn" | 3:58 |
9. | "This Is Why We Fight" | 5:30 |
10. | "Dear Avery" | 4:52 |
Total length: | 40:26 |
According to the liner notes of The King Is Dead.
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United States ( RIAA) [48] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Country | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
---|---|---|---|---|
United States | January 14, 2011 | Capitol Records | Vinyl LP | 42727 [1] |
United Kingdom | January 17, 2011 | Rough Trade Records, Capitol Records | Compact Disc | RTRADCDX656 [49] |
United States | January 18, 2011 | Capitol Records | 50999 9 47547 2 8 [50] |