The Decemberists On World Cafe

Ditching the prog-folk of their previous two albums, The Decemberists have taken a more cut-and-dried approach with The King Is Dead. Recorded in a barn outside of Portland, the album has strong ties to R.E.M. in sound and production — Peter Buck, guitarist for R.E.M., decided to climb on board for three songs.

"I grew up steeped in that music," Meloy tells World Cafe host David Dye. "I think it was coming through Hazards of Love and playing this music I wasn't steeped in as a kid but rather came to later on. I bounced back and kind of wanted to rediscover the music that I listened to as a kid."

Listen to Meloy and The Decemberists perform live on WXPN and chat with David Dye.

This World Cafe segment originally aired January 21.

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