The Decemberists - I'll Be Your Girl
Portland's most insufferable bunch of hipsters deliver once again. The Decemberists accidentally went through a bit of a proggy phase in the 2000's, which was of course when I liked them best. The last few albums have been more poppy and straightforward and kind of bland, but I feel that I'll Be Your Girl has mostly put them back in my good graces. The reason? Ironic, post-meta eighties references!
Yes, Colin Meloy and his funky folksters have embraced the synthesizer with vigour and I always enjoy the juxtaposition of electronic and acoustic instruments. But at the heart of it, there must always be good songwriting. Unlike on the previous two albums, I'm really feeling the songs this time. "For Once In My Life", "Cutting Stone", "Your Ghost" and the "Rusalka" suite connect with me far more than any of Meloy's songs have in a long time.
It's frequently darkly hilarious. The title track delivers some funny and well-considered commentary on gender roles, "We All Die Young" has the title being sung by a choir of children, and "Everything Is Awful" is the song I most frequently blasted at high volume to sing along with. It's not the best album of 2018, but it is the most 2018 album of 2018.
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