As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again, the eagerly anticipated new album by The Decemberists, is now available via YABB Records (Thirty Tigers). Following a six-year break, the band’s ninth studio album, As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again, was released. Lead singer Colin Meloy and Tucker Martine produced the amazing double album, which also includes guest appearances by Mike Mills of REM and James Mercer of The Shins.

The Decemberists have been one of the most inventive, audacious, and exciting American rock bands for two decades. The Decemberists were formed in 2000 when guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist Colin Meloy relocated from Montana to Portland, Oregon, where he met guitarist Chris Funk, bassist Nate Query, and keyboardist Jenny Conlee. Their debut EP, 5 Songs, was released in 2001, and their hyperliterate folk-rock sound immediately established them as a unique group. The band joined with Kill Rock Stars for the release of the critically praised albums Her Majesty The Decemberists (2003) and Picaresque (2005), which was produced by Chris Walla, after their 2002 full-length debut with Castaways and Cutouts. The band’s lofty artistic goals were made evident in their 2004 EP The Tain, an epic 18-minute single track.

With the addition of drummer John Moen around this period, the band’s regular lineup started to take shape, and in 2006 they unintentionally signed with Capitol Records for their debut album on the major label. When the band released The Crane Wife, their most ambitious and daring record to date—a song cycle produced by Walla and Tucker Martine, who would go on to become a longtime creative partner—fans’ worries that they would stray from their signature sound quickly dissipated. The album added elements of ’70s prog, hard rock, and even quasi-disco to their palette. The New York Times, Rolling Stone, SPIN, Stereogum, and Pitchfork all praised the album highly and called it Best New Music.

A full-length concept album based on Meloy’s conception for a stage musical, The Hazards of Love, became a Top 20 smash three years later. With their first #1 album, The King Is Dead, which included the GRAMMY-nominated song “Down By The Water,” they once again outperformed themselves in 2011. Following the release of their album What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World in 2015, which featured the #1 AAA radio hit song “Make You Better,” The Decemberists, along with producer John Congleton, experimented with new sounds and musical techniques for their eighth studio album, I’ll Be Your Girl (2018). “Every band, even The Decemberists, a band whose records have always come bursting with verve, needs to refresh and reconsider its sound sooner or later, no matter how sharp it’s gotten over the course of a long career,” NPR Music wrote. “I’ll Be Your Girl captures a collaborative spirit that keeps the band sounding vibrant and alive.”

Caitlyn Shadbolt’s “Country Music Never Made More Sense” is her latest single release after a short break. Melanie Dyer, Sammy White, and Sarah Buckley form a formidable trio to join Caitlyn on the single, which is a playful tribute to country music. All of them, plus Camille Trail, contributed to the composition of the song during a girls’ songwriting weekend.

“’I got together with the girls for a writing weekend. We planned to be all professional and split into groups and write in the studio, but we ended up having a couple of wines and writing this song around the fire! I feel like this song is extra relevant right now as country music is cranking and it’s never made more sense!”

Caitlyn Shadbolt is a top songwriter and performer in Australia’s modern country music scene. With the help of ABC MUSIC, Caitlyn was able to release her first album, “Songs On My Sleeve” (May 2017), after reaching the finals of Season 6 of The ‘X Factor’ Australia (2014). The album debuted at number one on the ARIA Country Albums chart upon its release. For eight weeks running, the lead single “My Break Up Anthem” was the most played song on Country Radio, and it also topped the CountryTown National Airplay Chart, while the CMC Award for Best New Artist and a nomination for Female Artist of the Year were both given to Caitlyn in recognition of her accomplishments.

“In The Midnight Sky Alone” is the most recent album by soulful alt-country troubadour Rick Hart of Melbourne, Australia and the single “A Bird That Won’t Sing” is the new single from the album.

Rick Hart’s signature style is a melodically flowing, harmony-laden environment overlaid with the profound grief of his words and visuals. All of Hart’s tracks have the signature Americana and country sounds that make him unique. There is a noticeable amount of Wilco and The Jayhawks influence.

An emotionally charged story on the harsh truth of heartbreak. Everything that was once is gone, and with it comes an unwavering sense of regret and the knowledge that change is inevitable.

“Rick Hart writes and delivers beautiful country songs – they are thoughtful, poignant, heartbreaking and smart,” remarked legendary Australian musician and songwriter Lachlan Bryan of Lachlan Bryan and The Wildes and The Pleasures, who co-produced Hart’s third long play . “I wanted to work on this record because I already believed every word he sings, and after spending weeks in the studio with Rick and his guitar, I now KNOW them all to be true”

Early reviews of the album indicate it’s amazing reach and potential to appear on several year end top ten lists, even though we are not even at the halfway point yet.

Based on Michael George Smith’s review of the album ‘In The Midnight Sky Alone’ in Rhythms Magazine, “the songwriter that the record portrays is a storyteller of the heart.”

“You really should listen to this album in its entirety because, first, if you skip around, you’ll miss out on some of the characters and stories told throughout, and second, if you just listen to a couple of songs, you won’t get nearly the whole experience that this album offers. I get that we live in a singles-based culture, and I’ll admit that there are a number of tracks that would grab my attention if I only listened to the singles, but listening to the entire album has been incredibly rewarding.”
‘In The Midnight Sky Alone’ album review in RAGMAG

“Hart is a refreshing counterpart to the plethora of male singers who have gone awry of country tradition. Hart is a perfect antidote to whatever bro-hangover still looms over us and has the same refreshing appeal that Sam Outlaw’s debut album had”. For The Country Record

“This is impressive songwriting! The melodic aspects perfectly capture the emotional tone of the songs. The classic alt country/R&B musical aspects are brilliant. It’s a genuine pleasure to review this exceptionally high level of songwriting.“ The Great American Songwriting Contest

“With his deeply soulful voice, Rick Hart journeys to the heart of modern Americana-alt-country, where frankness, sadness and songs collide.” Greg Arnold (Things of Stone and Wood)

“I’ve worked with Rick Hart, and he’s a superb songwriter! Rick’s music is a unique combination of roots and country.” – Bill Chambers (Australian Country Music Icon) –