"What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World" is the seventh studio album from Indie-Rock band The Decemberists. With it's mixture of somber ballads and catchy "four minute or so tunes", the album blends together a diverse experience marred by inconsistencies. Although the album has some definite high points, the snail-like pace of the album could deter you from getting through "What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World". Though songs such as "Philomena" and "Make You Better" serve as perfect renditions of The Decemberists' style; showing off a more mature sound as they mark their 15th year together as a band.
The opening track "The Singer Addresses His Audience" does a nice job of building up slowly as the album starts off on a crescendo, setting the tone in a bittersweet way; leaving you with a glimpse of the over-extended nature of many of these tracks. It is undeniable that many of these songs do have extremely catchy riffs and vocal melodies. "Cavalry Captain" and "Philomena" hit you back to back with two three minute tunes that'll stick in your head for days on end. The risque lyrics in "Philomena" talk about going down on a girl; yet when you get into the song, your head will bob as the lyrics fly past your head; its a very enjoyable track if you disregard the lyrics.
"Make You Better" could be classified as the album's anthem. The poetic lyricism shown on "Make You Better" paints a perfect portrait of Colin Meloy's feelings on love, loss, regret, and restructure in life. The backing vocals from Rachel Flotard on the chorus give the song a stunning quality; you've got yourself an excellent track. "Lake Song" is a sweet, yet somber track that is complimented by jangling acoustic guitars and piano keys; but is almost 6 minutes in length. This song could've easily been reduced by two minutes and if it was "Lake Song" could've had the potential to really stand out on this album.
The middle of the album becomes a snooze fest as songs like "Till The Water's All Long Gone" and "The Wrong Year" come off as lazy, uninspired efforts thrown into the mix to put more time on the album. "Better Not Wake The Baby" is catchy yet repetitive as all hell; thankfully the song is only 1:45 in length. "Carolina Low" was a track that caught me off guard. It reminded me of a Neil Young/Late Beatles acoustic track that didn't overstay its welcome. The swampy, dreary feel to the track is another highlight for an album that ultimately is lacking in direction.
Final Summary:
Overall, the album is a bit of a mess. In the midst of some straight up catchy, Beatle-like tunes comes a batch of lengthy tracks that would've been fine if they were limited to 4 minutes each. Songs such as "Make You Better", "Philomena", and "Cavalry Captain" will stick in your head for days and you'll find yourself gravitating towards them. And even though the album also offers some hidden gems like "Carolina Low" and "Anti-Summersong"(Great folk track), "What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World" is over 52 minutes in length in the "fast-click" 21st century. I wish I could give this album a higher rating but its very much muddled down by lengthy songs that could've been cut in half.
Rating: 6.8/10
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