Video: The Decemberists “Oh No!” (Live from Hallowed Halls)

Check out this absorbing new song from The Decemberists.  ‘Oh No!’ was recorded live at Hallowed Halls in Portland, Oregan and it’s a joy to see these talented players at work.  With atmospheric baritone saxophone from Chris Funk and trumpet from Victor Nash, alongside Jenny Conlee’s stirring and distinctive accordion, the band deliver a powerful upbeat performance on ‘Oh No!’  The rise and fall of lead singer Colin Meloy’s tuneful voice is at the heart of the ‘Oh No!’.

Meloy says of the song: “‘Oh No!’ is the sort of song that just tumbles out of you. It all started with the first line, ‘It was on a wedding night / How they danced by the firelight,’ and flowed from there. In my mind, the narrator of the song is channelling the two brothers from Emir Kusturica’s immortal film, ‘Underground’.  This song is about causing havoc, causing chaos, its narrator forever followed by an even greater form of chaos, a great darkness. But it’s a darkness you can dance to!”

‘Oh No!’ appears on the forthcoming album ‘As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again’, which will be released on 14th June 2024.  The new record comes six years after the band’s last outing, 2018’s ‘I’ll Be Your Girl’.  Produced by Meloy and Tucker Martine, ‘As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again’, is the band’s longest record to date, featuring four themed sides on the double-LP.  Meloy calls this the band’s best album yet and it’s certainly one to look out for.

Written by Americana UK