The Decemberists are putting out new music for the first time in six years. The new track is called “Burial Ground.” It features jangly guitars and swelling horns, giving a pop-simplicity feel with Colin Meloy’s reliable yet clever lyrics. It features James Mercer on backing vocals.
Stream “Burial Ground”, here.
Colin Meloy on “Burial Ground”:
“Burial Ground” is in that time-honored pop song tradition, a paean to hanging out in graveyards. The melody hook came to me in a dream and I hummed it into my phone on waking. Most dream-songs are bad; this was the exception.”
In addition to the new music, The Decemberists have also announced a huge North American spring and summer tour, starting at the end of April in Kingston, New York and ending in August on the west coast. Some highlights include the Brooklyn Paramount Theatre on May 3, the Salt Shed in Chicago on May 21 and the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on May 24. They will also be returning to their home turf, wrapping the tour in Troutdale, Oregon on August 3 at McMenamins Edgefield. The VIP pre-sale begins tomorrow. The tour will go on sale to the public this Friday, February 9 at 10 A.M. local time.
Tour Dates:
Co-Bill w/ The Head And The Heart ^ // Special Guest Ratboys unless noted with a “*”
April 30: Kingston, NY @ Ulster Performing Arts Center
May 2: Boston, MA @ Roadrunner
May 3: Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Paramount Theatre
May 6: Toronto, ON @ Exhibition Place – Queen Elizabeth Theatre
May 7: Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
May 8: Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore Philadelphia
May 10: Washington DC @ The Anthem
May 11: Durham, NC @ Durham Performing Arts Center
May 12: Atlanta, GA @ The Eastern
May 14: Dallas, TX @ Majestic Theater
May 15: Austin, TX @ Bass Concert Hall
May 17: St Louis, MO @ The Pageant
May 18: Milwaukee, WI @ Riverside Theater
May 19: St Paul, MN @ Palace Theatre
May 21: Chicago, IL @ Salt Shed
May 22: Detroit, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theater
May 24: Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
July 12: Bend, OR @ Hayden Homes Amphitheater^
July 13: Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
July 15: Los Angeles, CA @ The Bellwether
July 18: San Diego, CA @ Humphreys
July 19: Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theater
July 20: Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren
July 22: Santa Fe, NM @ The Bridge at Santa Fe Brewing
July 23: Denver, CO @ The Mission Ballroom
July 24: Sandy, UT @ Sandy Amphitheater
July 26: Missoula, MT @ Kettlehouse Amphitheater
July 27: Spokane, WA @ Spokane Pavilion
July 29: Vancouver, BC @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre
August 3: Troutdale, OR @ McMenamins Edgefield*
For over twenty years, The Decemberists have been one of the most original and daring American rock bands. They were founded back in 2000 when Colin Meloy moved to Portland, Oregon and met Nate Query, Jenny Conlee and Chris Funk. They have a distinctive brand of hyperliterate folk-rock that helped set them apart at the beginning. After making their debut with Castaways and Cutouts in 2002, The Decemberists signed with Kill Rock Stars for their next two albums. They later met John Moen and then they switched to Capitol Records in 2006. There were concerrns by fans of whether the sound would alter after the switch of labels. They were short lived after the release of The Crane Wife.
They have accomplished many great feats such as touring globally, performing at countless major festiva and founded one of their own, Travelers’ Rest. They have also appeared on The Simpsons and released their own crowd-funded board game, Illimat. The lead singer, Colin Meloy, has been quite busy with a number of projects which led to a longer period in-between releases. Some of these projects include multiple best-selling childrens and young adult novels. The most successful of these works are the Wildwood series, that’s in the process of being adapted into a feature film.
