I'll Be Your Girl

For their eighth studio album, I'll Be Your Girl, The Decemberists worked with producer John Congleton (St. Vincent, Lana Del Rey) and tinkered with their acoustic style, adding synth-driven grooves and assertive tempos. Songs like “Severed” and “Cutting Stone” sound expansive, opening new vistas of mood. “Rusalka, Rusalka/Wild Rushes” comprises multiple suites of grandeur, gently unfurling with ambition and conviction. The Decemberists save room for their acoustic heartbeat—check “Everything Is Awful” and “Sucker’s Prayer” for amazing songs about despair.