Mercury News, California — Perhaps the best moment on the Decemberists' new album comes at the end of a tune called "Calamity Song," when frontman Colin Meloy provides a transcendent touch by climbing into his high register. more info

The Good, The Bad and The Unknown — Combining two great musical forces from different generations can have disastrous results.  David Byrne & Fatboy Slim.  Billy Corgan & Ric Ocasek.  Or it can be a welcome surprise:  Them Crooked Vultures.  The new Decemberists falls into the l... more info

KEXP Seattle — Finally! We’re back full-steam with this week’s list of of new releases, proving that 2011 is going to be a hell of a year! The Decemberists kick it off with their followup to 2009′s The Hazards of Love, this time choosing to strip down their s... more info

The Telegraph — Colin Meloy's band team up with Gillian Welch for a fine album of American folk. Rating: * * * * more info

L.A. Times - Pop & Hiss — On “The Hazards of Love,” the 2009 album from the Decemberists, frontman Colin Meloy and his merry band of Pacific Northwest hucksters created a medieval rock opera. The band’s latest album, “The King Is Dead,” takes the opposite tack, expl... more info

LargeHeartedBoy — On sale at Amazon MP3 for $3.99: The Decemberists' new The King Is Dead album. The Wall Street Journal examines author's self-promotion efforts. Web-savvy authors point to the myriad opportunities provided by social networking sites. (Bruce DeSilva, ... more info

411 Mania — Words cannot describe how good this is. more info

USA Today Music — This week's Listen Up follows The Script with new releases from Social Distortion, Gregg Allman, The Decemberists and James Blunt. more info

Scotsman.com — Our critics review the best and worst of this week's new releases more info

411 Mania — Band drafts R.E.M. guitarist for The King Is Dead... more info