I've been a fan of The Decemberists for a long time, but I have to admit that even though I've developed pretty high expectations, their new album, The King is Dead (buy it here) is astonishingly good by anyone's measure. Although this probably is my favorite song -- "This is Why We Fight" could be an anthem for everyone in Wisconsin -- it's not by a lot: the album is superbly written and performed from start to finish.

Congrats to Colin and the gang. There's a reason this album entered the charts at No. 1.

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