From The Decemberists: New Album and Artwork Revealed, Upcoming Conan Performance

Dropping January 18 via Capitol Records in the US and January 17 via Rough Trade Records in the UK and Europe is The Decemberists‘ latest album, The King Is Dead.  On November 18, the band will be performing the album’s single live on Conan O’Brien’s new late night talk show.  Check out more details after the jump.
The King Is Dead marks the sixth studio album from Portland five-piece; this time around is a much simpler concept for the album influenced by country music.  The environment while making and producing The King Is Dead also heavily influenced its sound; the album was recorded on Pendarvis Farm in Oregon, an 80-acre space converted into a recording studio.  The tranquil surroundings of forestry, mountains, and arable land made it easily to create simple, yet new and intriguing melodies.

“We wanted that ethos,” lead singer Colin Meloy explains. “That was the color we wanted the record to have.”

The album is compiled of ten heartfelt, country-based songs, featuring American singer-songwriter Gillian Welch in seven songs and REM‘s legendary Peter Buck in three.

While the Decemberists are used to their elaborate and ambitious style of playing music, as showcased in their 2009 album, The Hazards Of Love, they found it oddly challenging to remain so subtle and simple.

Meloy explains, “For all my talk about how complex those records were, this one may have been harder to do,” he begins. “It’s a real challenge to make simple music, and lot of times we had to deliberately hold off and keep more space.”

Here is the track listing for The Decemberists’ The King Is Dead:
1. Don’t Carry It All
2. Calamity Song
3. Rise to Me
4. Rox in the Box
5. January Hymn
6. Down by the Water
7. All Arise!
8. June Hymn
9. This is Why We Fight
10. Dear Avery

Tune into “Conan” on TBS November 18th to catch The Decemberists perform their new album’s single, “Down by the Water”.  The digital release of the song is just two days before.

Pre-sale orders for The King Is Dead begin November 16 and will be available here.