Led by Montana native
Colin Meloy,
the Decemberists craft theatrical, hyper-literate pop songs that draw heavily from late-'60s British folk acts like
Fairport Convention and
Pentangle and the early-'80s college rock grandeur of
the Waterboys and
R.E.M. The band's initial lineup also included drummer Ezra Holbrook, bassist
Nate Query, keyboardist/accordionist
Jenny Conlee, and multi-instrumentalist
Chris Funk. Frontman
Meloy had previously devoted some time to an alternative country group before breaking off to pursue his craft as a singer/songwriter in the city of Portland, a move that eventually led to
the Decemberists' formation. Drawing influence from his degree in creative writing, he began fashioning a hybrid of literate lyrics and wide-ranging pop music, touching upon everything from
Sandy Denny to
Morrissey in the process.
Before Hush Records released the band's debut album in 2002,
the Decemberists baited their initial fans with a five-track EP. Their full-length debut,
Castaways and Cutouts, was re-released that same year on the Kill Rock Stars label, and the band began to accumulate a serious fan base. After adding organist and keyboardist
Rachel Blumberg to the group, in 2003
the Decemberists released
Her Majesty, another fine collection of theatrical indie pop with pastoral sensibilities that further cemented their growing reputation. One year later, a five-part epic EP entitled
The Tain -- based on the eighth century Irish poem of the same name -- appeared, followed by the full-length
Picaresque in 2005.
The group, which at this point consisted of
Meloy,
Conlee,
Query,
Funk, and drummer
John Moen, made the move to the major leagues by signing with Capitol Records in advance of 2006's
The Crane Wife, which managed to hit number 35 on the Billboard 200. The album also grabbed the attention of comedian/satirist
Stephen Colbert, who challenged
Funk to a guitar solo competition during a live taping of his show The Colbert Report. For their next project,
the Decemberists tackled one of
Meloy's most ambitious ideas to date: an honest to God rock opera.
The Hazards of Love appeared in 2009, featuring a fantasy-filled story line as well as cameos from
My Morning Jacket's
Jim James,
Lavender Diamond's
Becky Stark, and
My Brightest Diamond's
Shara Worden.
In January 2011, the band unexpectedly topped the charts with
The King Is Dead, a concise and rustic country-pop collection that featured guest appearances by
Peter Buck and
Gillian Welch, and followed it up later that year with the outtakes EP
Long Live the King. With touring completed for
The King Is Dead, the band went on hiatus, but still released the double live album
We All Raise Our Voices to the Air in 2012.
Coming off their hiatus,
the Decemberists returned with several live dates in 2014, and began work on their seventh studio album. On January 20, 2015, the album, titled
What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World, was released, and the group celebrated the event with a three-month tour covering the United Kingdom, Europe, and the United States. In September of that year, the band issued an EP,
Florasongs, that featured material from the
What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World sessions. The group then collaborated with U.K. singer/songwriter
Olivia Chaney, forming the band
Offa Rex for the 2017 album
The Queen of Hearts. The following year, they regrouped as
Decemberists for their eighth studio album, 2018's
I'll Be Your Girl, bringing producer
John Congleton aboard for a more synth-led record.
I'll Be Your Girl debuted at number nine on Billboard's Top 200 upon its March release and was followed that December by
Traveling On, an EP of outtakes from its recording sessions. ~ Linda Seida