Since forming in 2000, Oregon indie band The Decemberists has been seen as underdog of the folk craze. Lead singer Colin Meloy’s interests in history and wartime romance are continuous themes in the band’s songs.
Two of The Decemberists’ albums, “The Crane Wife” in 2006 and “The King Is Dead” in 2011, are regarded as the band’s highest achievements in songwriting. Back with a new release, “What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World,” The Decemberists may have overstepped its own passion for music. 
“Terrible World” opens with “The Singer Addresses His Audience,” a quiet ballad which gives Meloy a direct line to his listeners. The song slowly builds into a disorderly crescendo until all five members are playing with all-out fervor.
From there, most of the album falls into a severely folk-oriented rut. The tracks “Cavalry Captain” and “Philomena” best exemplify the issue, which is a heavy dependence on folk rock sensibilities. Songs share the relatively same structure and Meloy sounds like his vocals could have been pulled from any other album.
The heaviest offender to these problems is the song “Better Not Wake the Baby,” which exhibits an excessive amount of instrumentation. It’s a track that contains everything but the kitchen and fails to really present itself as a well-worked folk tune. The lyrics are kitschy and too tongue-in-cheek to be considered heartfelt or even novelty.
One saving grace on “Terrible World” is found halfway through the album – a song titled “Till The Water’s All Long Gone.” Starting out with a polished blues riff, the track quickly turns into a sad choral arrangement much like that from “Lifted” by Bright Eyes.
Ironically, the last track of the album is titled “A Beginning Song.” The song starts out strong and holds together for its five-minute length. This is one song from “Terrible World” that actually shows what influences The Decemberists could use in song creation.
The song’s low-toned cello accompaniment mimics the brass backgrounds of most Neutral Milk Hotel songs. Meloy sings a hook that strongly resembles some of the best melodies by The Avett Brothers. Overall, “A Beginning Song” shares its firm sentimentality with those Minnesota pillars of alternative music, The Jayhawks.