Don’t think of the new Decemberists Album, “As It Ever Was, So It Wil Be Again” as just the latest from a veteran American rock band, think of it as the ultimate realization of 22 years of original, daring and thrilling work.
Opening with a collaboration from James Mercer of the Shins and ending with an experimental track featuring R.E.M.’s Mike Mills, the songs in between these bookends are divided into four three-song chapters of poetically timeless, sometime macabre storytelling.
The album is the longest ever released by the band, practically a double album, and uses time to it’s advantage with baroque instruments to enhance acoustic guitars and horn section.
"As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again" is not the cliched return to form that many long-time bands shoot for, but an independent band empowered by singing stories that sound instantly familiar and convey some bit of hard-won wisdom.