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The King Is Dead (album)

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The King Is Dead
Studio album by
The Decemberists
ReleasedJanuary 14, 2011 (2011-01-14)[1]
RecordedEarly 2010
StudioPendarvis Farm, near Portland, Oregon
GenreIndie folk, indie rock, folk rock, Americana[2]
Length40:26
LabelCapitol and Rough Trade
ProducerTucker Martine
The Decemberists chronology
The Hazards of Love
(2009) 		The King Is Dead
(2011) 		Live at Bull Moose
(2011)
Singles from The King Is Dead
  1. "Down by the Water"
    Released: November 2010
  2. "This Is Why We Fight"
    Released: January 25, 2011[3]
  3. "Calamity Song"
    Released: 2011

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]

Background

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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.

Release and reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.3/10[16]
Metacritic77/100[17]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[18]
The A.V. ClubA[19]
The Daily Telegraph[20]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[21]
The Guardian[22]
The Independent[23]
NME4/10[24]
Pitchfork7.2/10[25]
Rolling Stone[26]
Spin7/10[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]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Colin Meloy

No.TitleLength
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

Personnel

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According to the liner notes of The King Is Dead.

The Decemberists

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Additional musicians

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  • Peter Buck – mandolin on "Don't Carry It All", 12-string electric guitar on "Calamity Song", electric guitar and baritone guitar on "Down by the Water"
  • David Rawlings – backing vocals on "Don't Carry It All", "June Hymn" and "Dear Avery"
  • Gillian Welch – backing vocals on "Don't Carry It All", "Rise to Me", "Rox in the Box", "Down by the Water", "All Arise!", "June Hymn" and "Dear Avery"
  • Laura Veirs – backing vocals on "Dear Avery"
  • Annalisa Tornfelt – violin on "Don't Carry It All", "Rox in the Box" and "All Arise!"
  • Tucker Martine – tambourine on "Calamity Song"

Production

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  • Produced by Tucker Martine with The Decemberists
  • Recorded and mixed by Tucker Martine
  • Mastered by Stephen Marcussen
  • Assistant engineering by Rich Hipp and Clinton Welander
  • Studio Interning by Andy Schichter
  • Design by Jeri Heiden for SMOG Design, Inc.
  • Illustrations and lettering by Carson Ellis
  • Photography by Autumn de Wilde

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[48] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Country Date Label Format Catalog
United States January 14, 2011 (2011-01-14) Capitol Records Vinyl LP 42727[1]
United Kingdom January 17, 2011 (2011-01-17) Rough Trade Records, Capitol Records Compact Disc RTRADCDX656[49]
United States January 18, 2011 (2011-01-18) Capitol Records 50999 9 47547 2 8[50]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "The King Is Dead (Capitol Records, Vinyl LP Album) at Discogs". Discogs. 14 January 2011. Retrieved Feb 10, 2011.
  2. ^ Barshad, Amos (November 3, 2010). "The Decemberists Let It Swag". New York magazine. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
  3. ^ Radiol1 Rodos Greece ::: USA Forthcoming Singles
  4. ^ a b c d Wolk, Douglas (November 4, 2010). "Colin Meloy Reveals Details of New Decemberists Album". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 7, 2010. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
  5. ^ "Billboard 200 Week-Ending Feb 5 '11". Billboard. Feb 5, 2011.
  6. ^ Barton, Laura (January 6, 2011). "The Decemberists: The changing of the seasons". The Guardian. London.
  7. ^ "The Decemberists | News 11.2.10". The Decemberists Official site. November 2, 2010. Archived from the original on November 8, 2010. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
  8. ^ Wawzenek, Bryan (November 3, 2010). "Decemberists Announce New Album". Gibson. Archived from the original on June 22, 2011. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
  9. ^ Luerssen, John D. (November 3, 2010). "The Decemberists Announce 'The King Is Dead' Album, Offer Free Song". Spinner. Archived from the original on January 12, 2012. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
  10. ^ LiveShowEd Video Archive (2020-04-18). The Decemberists | Calamity Song | live The Metro, Chicago, August 6, 2009. Retrieved 2024-05-25 – via YouTube.
  11. ^ Puiu, Tibi (November 2, 2010). "New Decemberists album announced – The King is Dead". ZME Music. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
  12. ^ Zeidses des Plantes, Erik (November 3, 2010). "Down by the water". Prefix magazine. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
  13. ^ "Rihanna and Katy Perry's Duet & More". Spin Magazine. November 2, 2010. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
  14. ^ "The Decemberists Announce New Album". Pitchfork Media. November 2, 2010. Retrieved November 4, 2010.
  15. ^ Caulfield, Keith (January 26, 2011). "Folk-rock band Decemberists lead U.S. album chart". Reuters. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
  16. ^ "The King Is Dead by The Decemberists reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  17. ^ "Reviews for The King Is Dead by The Decemberists". Metacritic. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  18. ^ Monger, James Christopher. "The King Is Dead – The Decemberists". AllMusic. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  19. ^ Murray, Noel (January 18, 2011). "The Decemberists: The King Is Dead". The A.V. Club. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  20. ^ Chilton, Martin (January 18, 2011). "The Decemberists – The King Is Dead: CD Review". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  21. ^ Vozick-Levinson, Simon (January 12, 2011). "The King Is Dead". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 20, 2011. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  22. ^ Hann, Michael (January 13, 2011). "The Decemberists: The King Is Dead – review". The Guardian. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  23. ^ Gill, Andy (January 14, 2011). "Album: The Decemberists, The King Is Dead (Rough Trade)". The Independent. Archived from the original on January 23, 2011. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  24. ^ Doran, John (January 24, 2011). "Album Review: The Decemberists – The King Is Dead (Rough Trade)". NME. Archived from the original on January 29, 2011. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  25. ^ Petrusich, Amanda (January 17, 2011). "The Decemberists: The King Is Dead". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  26. ^ Hermes, Will (January 18, 2011). "The King Is Dead". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  27. ^ Wood, Mikael (January 18, 2011). "The Decemberists, 'The King Is Dead' (Capitol)". Spin. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  28. ^ "Decemberists' 'King is Dead' is No. 1 on Billboard 200". Billboard.
  29. ^ "Uncut's Top 50 Albums Of 2011 - Stereogum". Stereogum. 29 November 2011.
  30. ^ "The Decemberists, 'The King Is Dead'". Rolling Stone. 7 December 2011.
  31. ^ "Australiancharts.com – The Decemberists – The King Is Dead". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  32. ^ "Austriancharts.at – The Decemberists – The King Is Dead" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  33. ^ "Ultratop.be – The Decemberists – The King Is Dead" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  34. ^ "The Decemberists Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  35. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – The Decemberists – The King Is Dead" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  36. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Decemberists – The King Is Dead" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  37. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography The Decemberists". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  38. ^ "Charts.nz – The Decemberists – The King Is Dead". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  39. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – The Decemberists – The King Is Dead". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  40. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  41. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – The Decemberists – The King Is Dead". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  42. ^ "Swisscharts.com – The Decemberists – The King Is Dead". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  43. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  44. ^ "The Decemberists Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  45. ^ "The Decemberists Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  46. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2011". Billboard. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  47. ^ "Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2011". Billboard. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  48. ^ "American album certifications – The Decemberists – The King Is Dead". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  49. ^ "The King Is Dead (Rough Trade / Capitol Records, CD Album, UK) at Discogs". Discogs. 17 January 2011. Retrieved Jan 25, 2011.
  50. ^ Capitol CD release @ Discogs
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