Sometimes an album comes a long that makes you stop in your tracks, and this was definitely one of those. The Decemberists are an American band with a bizarre obsession with English folk, which they interweave with indie rock, prog and a whole melting pot of other influences to create something utterly unique and never less than spellbinding. This is a massive, sprawling concept album, telling the tragic story of the heroine Margaret, who falls in love with a forest-dwelling shape-shifter called William, incurring the wrath of the jealous Forest Queen, and encountering the villainous Rake on the way. Although ostensibly very pretentious, the story is ...  Read the complete review

This album is so good it makes me cry. To call it ambitious would be an understatement, as it aims to tell a complete fairy tale, employing a wide variety of musical styles, instruments and vocals along the way. In doing so, it also incorporates traditional folk concepts and some awesome guest appearances. As a rock piece, this would happily be called a concept album. As a folk piece, it features some great songs and ideas. As a comprehensive package, it does much more. As is usually the way with soundtracks (as this is in some ways - in fact a complete film piece was used as a backdrop for a couple of special live shows), the central theme is ...  Read the complete review