Music Review: The Decemberists, What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World

By Tyler Hodg

In their 15th year as a band, The Decemberists continue to release albums that sound nothing less than pure, and What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World is no exception. It’s modest. It’s relatable. It’s fantastic.

The Portland, Oregon band once again showcases their signature folk-rock sound in their latest effort. They’ve perfected the balance between branching out just enough to sound current, but not so much they lose their familiarity. The intimate feel within the band’s sound is fully intact, yet at the same time it contains the grandness of most music currently being released by mainstream indie-rock bands. Fans of The Decemberists will be delighted to hear that the band they know and love has released something that not only caters to them, but to anyone who has an ear for good music.

When looking at the album as a whole, its distribution of upbeat and slow songs feels natural, and thankfully, lulls in energy never appear. This can be attributed to track listing—or, to the fact that all the songs are sensational both together and individually.

The first single, “Make You Better,” was released in November 2014. Its mellow verses and energetic choruses set the tone for the entire album. With the addition of engaging lyrics, particularly “But we’re not so starry-eyed anymore/Like the perfect paramour you were in your letters”, the song presents the universally relatable theme of transitions within a relationship and its honesty is far more than enough to make the listener reflect upon the words being sung.

Music aside, What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World’s cover art is absolutely perfect. It has a likeness to a quilt or some sort of arts and craft project, representing the folky-roots sound the album has to a T. Let’s be honest, there are a lot of bad covers out there; it’s refreshing to see a band get all elements of an album—cover art included—right.

Between its impressive sonic quality and captivating charm, it’s not easy to find negatives about What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World. The Decemberists have figured out what music should be and have implemented it: creative, personable, passionate—and above all else—real.

What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World was released on January 20 through Kill Rock Stars/Capitol Records.

Tour Dates:
February 11 – Vicar Street – Dublin, Ireland
February 13 – O2 Academy Glasgow – Glasgow, UK
February 14 – O2 Academy Leeds – Leeds, UK
February 16 – O2 Academy Bristol – Bristol, UK
February 17 – Manchester Academy – Manchester, UK
February 18 – The Institute – Birmingham, UK
February 20 – Brighton Dome Concert Hall – Brighton, UK
February 21 – O2 Academy Brixton – London, UK
February 23 – Paradiso – Amsterdam, Netherlands
February 24 – AB – Brussels, Belgium
February 25 – Doornroosje – Nijmegen, Netherlands
February 26 – Astra Kulturhaus – Berlin, Germany
February 28 – Kaufleuten – Zürich, Switzerland
March 1 – Magazzini Generali – Milan, IT
March 21 – Keller Auditorium – Portland, OR
March 24 – Northrop Auditorium – Minneapolis, MN
March 25 – Riverside Theater – Milwaukee, WI
March 27 – Chicago Theatre – Chicago, IL
March 28 – Royal Oak Music Theatre – Royal Oak, MI
March 30 – Massey Hall – Toronto, ON
March 31 – Benedum Center – Pittsburgh, PA
April 1 – UB Center For The Arts – Buffalo, NY
April 3 – House of Blues – Boston, MA
April 4 – House of Blues – Boston, MA
April 6 – Beacon Theatre – New York, NY
April 7 – Academy of Music – Philadelphia, PA
April 9 – The Fillmore Charlotte – Charlotte, NC
April 10 – The Tabernacle – Atlanta, GA
April 11 – The Tabernacle – Atlanta, GA
April 12 – Rhythm N’ Blooms Festival – Knoxville, TN
April 13 – Ryman Auditorium – Nashville, TN
April 29 – Mesa Performing Arts Center – Mesa, AZ
April 30 – North Park Theatre – San Diego, CA
May 1 – Greek Theatre – Berkeley, CA
May 2 – Greek Theatre – Los Angeles, CA
May 27 – Red Rocks – Denver, CO
June 5-7 – Governors Ball – New York, NY
July 10 – Edgefield – Troutdale, OR