Pitchfork

[Posted Monday, September 8th, 2003 03:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]

The Decemberists are set to release their second full-length, Her Majesty The Decemberists, this week. Kill Rock Stars is doing the releasing (apparently, they hate war), the very same label who re-released The Decemberists' first LP, Castaways and Cutouts, back in May. The Decemberists are not without apprehension regarding this release: check frontman Colin Meloy dishing on Hush Records' website: "I genuinely fear for this record. I think it's going to get roundly crapped upon. But [whatever]... the sophomore slump is a very real psychic hurdle for any artist, doubly so for one embraced, lauded, and virtually catapulted into the pantheon of indie-pop on the merit of one album. Any behind-the-scenes hand-wringing should be expected of anyone. But the question remains: 'Is it good? Does it deliver the goods amid all the hype?'" We fans can only hope, although Meloy's apologies rival Bush Jr.'s policy of preemption.

In celebration of (or in mourning for, Meloy makes it hard for us to know for sure) the new album, The Decemberists will be touring the U.S. in October and early November. The tour follows both the new LP and the band's performance at Bumbershoot (originally cancelled, then re-scheduled as a solo performance by Meloy, and finally performed as a whole band minus guitarist Chris Funk). The tour contains a stop in Brooklyn for a CMJ showcase with KRS labelmates Casual Dots, Jeff Hanson, and Slumber Party. The dates:

10-07 San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill
10-08 Los Angeles, CA - Spaceland (w/ Young People)
10-09 Los Angeles, CA - UCLA (w/ Earlimart)
10-10 Phoenix, AZ - Modified
10-11 Albuquerque, NM - Launchpad
10-12 Lubbock, TX - Texas Tech
10-13 Austin, TX - Emo's
10-14 Denton, TX - Rubber Gloves
10-15 Houston, TX - Rudyard's
10-16 Baton Rouge, LA - Red Star
10-18 Orlando, FL - Will's Pub
10-19 Tampa, FL - New World
10-20 Athens, GA - Caledonia
10-22 Cambridge, MA - Middle East
10-23 New York, NY - TBA (CMJ Party)
10-25 Brooklyn, NY - Luxx (KRS CMJ showcase w/ Jeff Hanson, Slumber Party)
10-27 Philadelphia, PA - Khyber
10-28 Washington, D.C. - Black Cat
10-31 Richmond, IN - Earlham College
11-01 Chicago, IL - Schuba's
11-02 Grinnell, IA - Grinnell College
11-04 MIssoula, MT - TBA
11-05 Seattle, WA - TBA
11-07 Portland, OR - TBA

Bandmate Rachel Blumberg's other band, Norfolk and Western, has also come out with a new album, Dusk in Cold Parlors (available on Hush, which is also helping with distribution of Her Majesty). Confused? Oh, what a tangled web these bands and labels weave.