HOW THE DECEMBERISTS’ HAVE THE #1 ALBUM IN AMERICA

This…just…happened. The Decemberists‘ latest studio album The King is Dead has hit #1 on the Billboard Top 200!  According to an issued press release, the band sold 93,567 copies in its first week.  A bit of a departure from the bands previous five albums, The King is Dead is ripe with dark fictional themes, fortified by country-folk rhythms and crunchy metal-inspired riffs  that feature Gillian Welch, David Rawlings, and R.E.M.’s Peter Buck.

So, what does it mean that an indie-folk outfit named after a Russian uprising is topping the charts?  Either there is finally a new trend brewing in “popular” music consumption, or the incompetent music industry is once again struggling and there were no other big releases last week. Whatever scenario may be the case, it’s a win-win in either direction.