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The Decemberists - What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World CD (album) cover

WHAT A TERRIBLE WORLD, WHAT A BEAUTIFUL WORLD

The Decemberists

 

Prog Folk

2.68 | 37 ratings

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jammun
Prog Reviewer
3 stars I'm the last holdout, the last believer, apparently, as I continue to like this band. Look, I miss The Engine Driver as much as the next guy. So call this Picaresque Part II. What a fine piece of music is this one. What a fine piece of 60's British Invasion/psychedelia, half-ways anyways because of the folky parts. I don't get the REM comparisons, because I never listened to REM.

For those expecting the most recent Prog, replete with lightning guitars and swirling synths, etc., you'll be disappointed, possibly more disappointed even than you were with The King Is Dead. I mean, this is not even Americana. Well, not Americana Americana. It's more like Brittanica Americana. You could put few of these songs on Nuggets and no one would be the wiser. You could put a few on some British Invasion Anthology. You could put the other half anywhere, and they'd shine like a tarnished silver ring bearing one centered oval turquoise stone.

You get your usual anthemics (Make You Better, A Beginning Song) and stoner bliss (Lake Song). And some nuggets.

I dock this thing at least a star due to lack of pedal steel.

In these hyper-ad driven days, this is not a great way to build your brand. And yet I listen to the shamelessly'what, Herman's Hermits with dirty lyrics'flat-out joy of Philomena. The band is still more than capable of surprises, and this is a nice addition to their catalog.

jammun | 3/5 |

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