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The Decemberists’ Epic Return with ‘As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again’ + New Single!

  • May 15, 2024
  • 3 min read
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The Decemberists’ Epic Return with ‘As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again’ + New Single!

The decemberists, oh no, indie rock, alternative rock

The Decemberists’ new album, As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again, is set to release on June 14th via YABB Records (Thirty Tigers). Marking their 9th studio album after a six-year hiatus, this remarkable double album is produced by lead singer Colin Meloy and Tucker Martine and features guest appearances from The Shins’ James Mercer and REM’s Mike Mills. Pre-orders are available today.

As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again is not only the longest Decemberists album to date but also their first intentional, proper double-LP, split into four thematic sides. The 13 songs serve as semaphores of mutual recognition for our fraught times and faint hopes. Tracks like “The Reapers” explore existential slog and capitalist vexation, “America Made Me” delves into opiated delusion and jumbled jingoism, while “All I Want Is You” offers guileless tenderness and absolute surrender. This album is a redemptive testament of a band finding new communal hymns by revisiting several old modes at once. Meloy proudly declares it the best Decemberists album yet, perhaps the ultimate realization of 22 years of work. The album resonates with the urgency and ardor of the present more than ever before.

The band first teased the new album with the single “Burial Ground.” Flood Magazine declared, “The Decemberists are so back,” and Paste Magazine noted, “‘Burial Ground’ revives the band’s warm, familiar folk-rock sound.” The track features buoyant vocals by Meloy over twinkling instrumentation, with loose guitar and flourishes of horns adding a Beach Boys-style vibrancy. They followed up with a 19-minute prog rock epic titled “Joan In The Garden,” and a potent love song called “All I Want Is You.”

The Decemberists are currently on an expansive North American tour with both spring and summer legs. Highlights include The Salt Shed in Chicago on May 21st and the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on May 24th, concluding on August 3rd at McMenamins Edgefield in Troutdale, OR. All tickets are on sale now, with a full list of tour dates available.

For 20 years, The Decemberists have been one of the most original, daring, and thrilling American rock bands. Founded in 2000 when singer, songwriter, and guitarist Colin Meloy moved from Montana to Portland, Oregon and met bassist Nate Query, keyboardist Jenny Conlee, and guitarist Chris Funk, The Decemberists’ distinctive brand of hyperliterate folk-rock set them apart from the start with their debut EP 5 Songs in 2001. After making their full-length debut with Castaways and Cutouts in 2002, the band signed with Kill Rock Stars for the release of acclaimed albums Her Majesty the Decemberists (2003) and Picaresque (2005), produced by Chris Walla. The 2004 EP The Tain – an 18-minute single-track epic – showcased the band’s grand creative ambitions.

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Chris Ryan

Chris Ryan is an accomplished promoter, event planner, producer, activist, counselor, poet and blogger. Within the course of two and a half years Chris Ryan has worked with some of NYC's most established promoters/event planners, been named 2007′s GaySocialite of the year, granted a promoter of the year award from NYC's most famous gay establishment, Splash. He's worked in some of NYC's top venues including; Avalon, Capitale, Cipriani, Cielo, Pacha, Element, Le Poisson Rouge, XL, G Lounge, Plumm, Hilton Hotel, Indigo Hotel, Spirit, Myst/Quo, Splash, The Ritz, Vlada, Roseland Ballroom, Heaven, etc. In 2008, Chris Ryan has begun to unveil some of the most innovative & unique parties New York City has ever seen. The Fusion events "fuse" together all disciplines of art into an event that remains diverse yet cohesive at the same time. ChrisRyanNYC.com won best gay promotions website from NYC Event Patrons in 2008 & he was granted an award from the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club, Gov. Patterson & Michelle Clunie (QAF) saluting him for his hard work in nightlife. Chris Ryan has also begun working with many renown companies, including; doctors, lawyers, physicians, modeling agencies & more. Chris Ryan has been responsible for wide-scale promotions for all these companies & generating tremendous business. Chris Ryan has even started to become National with events taking place in LA & Miami this year. In May of 2009 Chris Ryan received the very prestigious honor of being named a "40 Under 40″ Gays in America by the Advocate Magazine. He also created three successful parties that generated over 1,500 patrons each. In January of 2010 Chris Ryan was featured as one of the top promoters to look out for in Noize Magazine Chris Ryan joined forces with legendary promoter/event producer, Lee Chappell and created one of the most talked about events of all 2010, Desire @ Capitale. Chris Ryan and Lee featured one of the most outstanding artists NYC has ever seen, "Oh Land." Her performance coupled with an exquisite and unforgettable set design added to this extravagant event that held over 1,000 patrons in one of NYC's most successful PRIDE events! Chris Ryan then joined forces with legendary Pacha promoter, Rob Fernandez in addition to Jake Resnicow and Tommy Marinelli to bring one of the largest and most successful parties worldwide to NYC, MATINEE. The event on Governor's Island saw over 2,000+ attendees and one of the most ambitious productions ever. In 2011 Chris Ryan started Emerge Music Promotions with business partner Darren Melchiorre. Emerge Music promotions began signing artists with plans to develop and market the artists to the community at large. Emerge Music promotions has big events planned for 2012 and 2013. Chris Ryan debuted the IMAGE events which took place on top of two of NYC's most beautiful rooftop venues, Rare View and Indigo Hotel. The events were blogged everywhere and featured the fashion designs of several clothing designers, artists and photographers. Chris Ryan felt that fashion and art should be displayed at every event and attracted the likes of Malan Breton, Calvin Klein and even Katy Perry. Chris Ryan began an extremely successful event which incorporated the concept of a house party into a nightclub atmosphere. The event Twist'D at G Lounge has been one of the most talked about events in NYC and allows it's audience to play nearly-naked Twister, beer pong, flip cup & more with other attendees. Chris Ryan was granted an excellence in volunteering award from AVP (Anti-Violence Project) for all his efforts in supporting the organization. 2013 has a very promising landscape on the horizon and Chris Ryan is complacent in saying "you haven't seen anything yet!"

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