“We’ve kind of been finding our sea legs again,” says singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Colin Meloy. “It was good to feel as though we still had it once we’d been out there for a bit. At the same time, I’ve found it’s always good to have nervous energy about a show going into it, as opposed to simply being complacent about it. I think having been away from touring in awhile helped in that respect. It gave us a new perspective. I think there’s been some cool little discoveries about the album, too. Playing something like The Singer Addresses His Audience is quite entertaining when you do it live – it’s almost meta, in a way. When you’re making and recording these songs with no prior road testing, you have no idea how people are going to respond once you take it out of the vacuum. The fact that people have been so open and responsive is a really great thing to us.”
Meloy is in a constant state of creative movement. Even during the four-year rest between The King Is Dead and What a Terrible World, he found himself writing constantly. Meloy’s also a published children’s writer, and he’s spoken about the interplay between his lyric writing and creative writing. Specifically, he said that the character-driven nature of the novels he was writing – Wildwood and Under Wildwood – led to the more direct and personal nature of What a Terrible World. When queried on his recent writing habits, however, he says it’s too early to tell what direction they’ll take.
“I think that the songs that I’m working on are still very much in their nascent stage. There’s no telling what direction they’re headed. They may well end up being a little more narrative-driven. That said, I’m also working on another book right now. I don’t know if it will have the same influence that the last books I did had over the songwriting for the last album. It’s going to be another illustrated novel that I’m working on with Carson [Ellis, Meloy’s wife] that expands out the Wildwood universe. I can’t say too much about it yet, either. I’m just getting back into the habit of writing again now.”
During The Decemberists’ downtime, Meloy and Ellis welcomed their second son into the world – Milo Cannonball Meloy joins his nine-year-old brother Henry. While the Decemberists figurehead mightn’t exactly fit the rockstar mould, the band’s popularity is hard to ignore. Not that it matters to Hank or Milo, of course – once Meloy’s stepped off the stage and wiped the sweat away, he’s just dad to them.
“Hank has been around music his entire life,” he says. “He’s been on the road. He’s fine with it – I honestly think it’s old hat for him. Milo is almost three, and he’s starting to get some sort of idea about it all as well. I think neither of them find it all that unusual – not that they should, of course. In terms of my relatively-minor fame… I guess that might take them a little while to comprehend. They’re confused enough when people they don’t know talk to me.”
Although The Decemberists reliably attract critical acclaim with each new release, many people have discovered the band through various film and television show appearances. They’ve featured on such shows as The Simpsons, Parks & Recreation and Portlandia, and also contributed a track to The Hunger Games’soundtrack. It should be stressed, however, that the band don’t just give away their songs for anyone to use.
“We get a lot of requests for stuff, and some of it is just baffling,” Meloy says. “[American comedian] Dennis Miller wanted to use our song Sons And Daughters as his walk-off music on a comedy special he was doing. I was so amazed that he would want that song, considering what that song is really about and the context in which he wanted to use it. I had to say no – I just think that he’s an awful human being. I think what he stands for is against everything that Sons And Daughters stands for.”
The Decemberists’ output has also given rise to many notable covers. For instance, Marianne Faithfull recorded a version of The Crane Wife 3, which features backing vocals from Nick Cave; while bluegrass artist Sarah Jarosz made a name for herself with a stunning cover of Shankhill Butchers. Meanwhile, Meloy has no trouble naming his favourite ever Decemberists cover version.
“Patti Smith covered Here I Dreamt I Was An Architect, which is so humbling,” he says. “She told me that she wished she’d written it, which was unbelievable. She’s always been like this mythical creature to me – so much of the music I was listening to when I was growing up was hugely influenced by her, like R.E.M. and the ‘80s punk bands I was into. I met her at this event at Town in New York celebrating the ‘60s folk scene, and I just made awkward small talk about how much I love Just Kids, her book – which I do, I have to stress. I wasn’t just saying it. I think she picked up on how nervous I was – I mean, neither of us are particularly great at small talk.”
With What a Terrible World out in the wild, The Decemberists have finally come good on their promise to return to Australia. Next month’s tour will be the first time in over six years that they’ve performed Down Under, and they’ve got big plans for their return; including a stint at the full-to-the-brim Byron Bay Bluesfest. They’re unquestionably one of the biggest draws on the festival bill – which says a lot, considering they’re appearing alongside The National, Kendrick Lamar and Brian Wilson. With any luck, it’ll go down a lot better than their last attempt at an Australian festival.
“Big Day Out was a bit of a bummer,” says Meloy. “Maybe not a bummer,” he clarifies. “I think it was just such a big rock festival that we weren’t used to at all – we were just trying to be heard over Dizzee Rascal. It was a little weird. Thankfully, the crowds were amazing for our own shows that we did while we were out there. They were so enthusiastic and so excitable. I carry that with me into our next visit, hoping we’re blessed with the same luck at our own shows.”
BY DAVID JAMES YOUNG
