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Oregon-based indie folk act The Decemberists return after a four year hiatus for their seventh album, What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World. After the popularity of 2011’s The King is Dead, which reached No.1 in the US charts, the difficult task for this album would be to keep the momentum running for their newfound success whilst avoid entering the territory of more generic watered down folk. The sound and overall façade of The Decemberists is so niche, with its hyper-literary seafaring ballads and grand theatrics, coupled with a swirling mix of Americana, British folk revival and 80s alternative rock, that the band could easily continue to release similar records without much heed. For lead singer and songwriter Colin Meloy though, a move away from this comfortable niche into a broader ranging compass of sounds and words has been put in place. Signs of gravitating towards radio friendly indie-pop can be seen in the lead single Make You Better and Philomena, though a maturing of songwriting on Meloy’s part can be heard in Anti-Summersong and 12/17/12, which was inspired by the Newton school shootings, also the inspiration for the album’s title. An overall maturing of both lyrical content and sound has occurred within this album as The Decemberists try to break away from the constraints of their six previous albums with a mixture of lead pop singles, folk ballads and more grandiose arrangements, which proves they can still deliver 15 years after their formation.