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You Can't Hear it on the Radio is a blog about the current golden age of music. At no time since the 1960s has there been such an output of quality music by so many varied artists. Add to that technology that makes it easier than ever for the curious to find good music today. But, like an unlimited selection at an all-you-can-eat buffet, there's no table service. You will have to seek it out. The old model is dead. Generally speaking, you can't hear it on the radio. You can learn about it here, though.

Steve: So, today is a pretty big day for us. The Decemberists follow up The Hazards of Love, an album from 2009 that we both loved, with their sixth long player, The King is Dead. Folks that have had a chance to preview the album streaming on NPR for the past couple weeks are calling this, rightly so, a departure. While I agree with that, I will kick things off with an initial observation about the song "Rise to Me" - with its slide guitar and some of the lyrical references to water and woods, it could easily serve as a redemptive coda to Hazards’ grand finale, "The Hazards of Love 4 (The Drowned)". Noah, did you pick up on that bit of synchronicity, and what were your first impressions of The Decemberists' "new" sound?

Noah: I can't say I noticed any connection to Hazards of Love, but that doesn't mean you're wrong. But I will say that in part for reasons noted in this week's Time Magazine article, Rise to Me is one of my favorite songs on The King is Dead. But to answer your main question, the "new" sound was startling, even after hearing Down By The Water weeks ago.

Steve: What about the comparisons to Tarkio? I mean, Colin Meloy has this sound in him, even if we hadn't heard it from Decemberists music before.

Noah: I think they're good comparisons, but Tarkio never had the texture or depth that The King is Dead does. The Decemberists are clearly a more interesting and substantive band than Tarkio (no offense) ever was.

Steve: It takes a lot of confidence to pull off the bombastic vision they realized on Hazards of Love and follow it up with a quiet piece of beauty like The King is Dead. Both aspects of that are pretty ballsy.

Noah: Agreed completely. On first listen, I had the same reaction to both Hazards and King..."whathafuh?" But then I listened again, and again, and again.

Steve: So what about TKID works for you?

Noah: Generally, the whole thing. I like the sparse (by Decemberists standards) arrangements, the Gillian Welch and the Peter Buck. What about you?

Steve: I think it is interesting Colin chose to bring in a female voice (in Welch) immediately after the collaborative aspect of Hazards of Love (heavily featuring Becky Stark and Shara Worden). I imagine he liked the interplay it creates, to give his reedy tenor something to bounce off of. I think Welch's presence makes TKID feel like a project more than a proper Decemberists record, not that that's a bad thing. I think I most liked the harmonica sound throughout the album, which to my ear is reminiscent of The River era Bruce Springsteen, especially on "Down By the Water". It sounds really great.

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