What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World

Rock · 2015 · 14 tracks · 53m

What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World

The Decemberists

A pivot from historical epics to personal reflection. Polished chamber pop and warm indie folk that balances parental anxiety with the beauty of the mundane.

The Decemberists put down the history books and finally wrote about themselves, and it's surprisingly catchy.

A mature, reflective balance of domestic warmth and existential anxiety.

What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World · vs · The Decemberists

Self Examination+2.5σ

The writing leans far further into self examination than the rest of the catalogue.

Tracklist · 14 Tracks · 53m

01

The Singer Addresses His Audience

4:43

02

Cavalry Captain

3:18

03

Philomena

3:05

04

Make You Better

5:08

05

Lake Song

5:52

06

Till the Water’s All Long Gone

5:01

07

The Wrong Year

3:53

08

Carolina Low

3:25

09

Better Not Wake the Baby

1:45

10

Anti‐Summersong

2:12

11

Easy Come, Easy Go

2:22

12

Mistral

3:54

13

12/17/12

3:03

14

A Beginning Song

5:22

Moments Worth Waiting For

The meta-narrative shift in the opening track where the band directly addresses their fans' expectations over a swelling orchestral build.

The stark, harmonica-led vulnerability of 12/17/12 that captures the paralysis of being happy while the world is grieving.

The way the backing vocals on Make You Better elevate a standard indie-rock hook into something grand and communal.

Sits BesideSee all

florasongs

The Decemberists

Shares indie folk, baroque pop, chamber pop (subgenres); nasal, harmonized, narrating (vocal style)

As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again

As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again

The Decemberists

Shares indie folk, baroque pop, chamber pop (subgenres); nasal, harmonized, narrating (vocal style)

Her Majesty the Decemberists

Her Majesty the Decemberists

The Decemberists

Shares indie folk, baroque pop, folk rock (subgenres); nasal, harmonized, narrating (vocal style)

The Crane Wife

The Decemberists

Shares indie folk, baroque pop, chamber pop (subgenres); nasal, harmonized, narrating (vocal style)

The Ghosts That Haunt Me

The Ghosts That Haunt Me

Crash Test Dummies

Shares bittersweet, contemplative, wistful (moods); indie folk, folk rock, chamber pop (subgenres)

Ribbon Around the Bomb

Ribbon Around the Bomb

Shares analog_warmth, orchestral_arrangement, hi_fi (production style); bittersweet, contemplative, wistful (moods)

Spacehopper

Shares bittersweet, contemplative, wistful (moods); indie folk, chamber pop (subgenres)

Reservoir

Shares indie folk, baroque pop, chamber pop (subgenres); analog_warmth, orchestral_arrangement, layered_dense (production style)

Long Live the King

Long Live the King

The Decemberists

Shares indie folk, folk rock, chamber pop (subgenres); nasal, harmonized, narrating (vocal style)

5 Songs

The Decemberists

Shares indie folk, baroque pop, chamber pop (subgenres); nasal, harmonized, narrating (vocal style)

Reviews

AllMusic

Cassette uses generative AI to enrich its catalog. How we use AI →