IN REVIEW: The Decemberists - "I'll Be Your Girl"

Much of the advance narrative attached to The Decemberists' eighth record was that of another abandonment of their established musical pathways. I'll Be Your Girl has been referred to in some circles as their synth pop record, an assumption drawn from lead single Severed and its thumping new wave propulsion. Upon first listen, the album seems to be following suit; opening track Once In My Life starts out as more typical, acoustic-based Decemberists fare before blossoming into a nocturnal new wave anthem. The pattern continues on Cutting Stone, a less successful re-appropriation of the band's sound.

As it turns out, nothing on the record is as blatantly synth-heavy as Severed; though synths and keyboards do appear throughout, there's perhaps no proof as potent to those synth pop critics as this. The thing is, though, underneath all of that extra colour the song kicks; it's a different look for the band, to be sure, but one that absolutely suits them.

As the album progresses past its opening trio of tracks, however, I'll Be Your Girl begins to transform into something far beyond what those initial impressions would lead one to believe. Starwatcher trudges along upon a steady snare backbone, while Tripping Along establishes itself as a wistful, heartfelt ballad that uses keyboards as mere window dressing for the song's crescendo. Your Ghost, meanwhile, is a fleet and dark tune that features extra instrumentation and off-kilter background vocals to create the closest approximation to Arcade Fire as this band has churned out since their theatrical folk days.

The back half of I'll Be Your Girl switches gears yet again with influences reaching further back than the new wave that had been referenced as a jumping off point in pre-release press. Everything Is Awful, a jaunty and explosive ode to everything being awful, finds The Decemberists at their most playful, calling to mind The Beatles; their presence is felt even greater on Sucker's Prayer, a stunning piano-lead easy rocker that sends the listener back to the turn of the decade, and by that I mean the '70s. We stay there for We All Die Young, a bombastic arena-ready rocker that begs for crowd participation (and also just happens to feature a children's chorus and a saxophone solo for added ridiculousness); it's kind of like Revolution as filtered through the mind of a morbid hipster.

What follows is perhaps the song (technically songs, but okay) that pays the most service to longtime fans; Rusalka, Rusalka/Wild Rushes pairs together two songs into one, starting as a plaintive ballad before seguéing into a vibrant and busy folk waltz. It's closing minute would have been a more than suitable ending, yet it's followed by the earnest and quiet title track, which ends up feeling more like an epilogue than a proper ending.

So, yes, there are synths on this record. They're featured throughout, but most heavily at the front of the record; the rest of the time, The Decemberists simply explore ways for their typically sharp and strong songs to adapt some new sounds. They tip their collective hat to a wider array of influences, and come out with a solid and colourful record that rarely gets bogged down in narratives external or internal. A sometimes brash, sometimes surprising and consistently entertaining record, I'll Be Your Girl is yet another shining example of The Decemberists' willingness to shake things up in the name of keeping things interesting, for them and for us.

March 16, 2018 • Capitol
Highlights Severed • Everything Is Awful • Sucker's Prayer