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New Music Monday: The Decemberists

By Dave Sanford Published August 6, 2021

new music monday decemberists — Image used with permission by copyright holder

In the music video for “Make You Better,” the lead single from The Decemberists’ new album, What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World, Parks & Recreation‘s Nick Offerman portrays a TV host in the middle of a fraught relationship with one of his coworkers. This change in role for Offerman, from rugged Ron Swanson to the vulnerable Franz, is indicative of a larger change in The Decemberists’ tone on their new album.

What a Terrible World… is more direct than the band’s older catalogue. “Make You Better” deals plainly and openly with the burdens lovers place on one another, while tracks like “12/17/12” feature vocalist Colin Meloy singing on his own experiences rather than narrating stories about fictional/mythical characters (cf. The Hazards of Love and The Táin).

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That said, and even considering the band’s shift in lyrical style, What a Terrible World… is unmistakably a Decemberists album. “The Singer Addresses His Audience” includes sly references to the listener as it takes a serious look at issues of fame and artistry, and in another life “Philomena” could have been the most suggestive track The Hollies ever recorded.

Meloy’s use of more personal lyrics is a rejuvenating move for the band. What a Terrible World… points toward a new way forward for The Decemberists. The band is exploring new lyrical territory as well as digging further into its roots and inspirations.

What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World came out last Tuesday, January 20th, on Capitol Records and is available on Amazon, The Decemberists’ official site, and iTunes.

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Culture

Cyber Monday deal: For just $150, this game table offers foosball, 15 other games

A family play's foosball on Segmart's 16-in-1 game table.

It's a modern fact that we spend too much time playing with tech and not enough time spending time in the real, physical world, bonding through shared experience, touch, and the tactile. And many of the best Cyber Monday deals will attest to this — we're seeing great Cyber Monday iPad deals, for instance. At the same time, we're also seeing great Cyber Monday Under Armour deals, Cyber Monday Nike deals, and Cyber Monday protein powder deals that people are happily snatching up, a sign that many of us are ready to get back to the physical. One excellent way to do so is with a game table. This one we found in Walmart's Cyber Monday deals includes 16 games, with a combination of active classics like foosball and some board games like checkers and backgammon, is over 50% off. Usually priced at $310, it can be yours now for $150, saving you $160 while this Cyber Monday deal lasts. Tap the button below to see it yourself or keep reading for more information.

Why you should buy the Segmart 16-in-1 game table
The Segmart 16-in-1 game table comes in a brown wood or red color configuration. It sits on the floor in an approximately 2-foot by 4-foot rectangle, reaching 3 feet in height, making it great for typically-sized children of 8+. There are exchangeable, stackable boards that bring out different game types to the tabletop, but other accessories you'll need (paddles or the foosball "players" are examples) to get it all to work.

Culture

Cyber Monday alert — Get great TV sound with the Sonos Beam 2 at 26% off

A woman touches a Sonos Beam 2 that is below her TV.

It's Cyber Monday and the last big named day of the 2024 deals season (except, perhaps, Christmas Eve). While there are plenty of Cyber Monday deals to be found, the deals people are interested in now tend to shift to the more digital realm. That can mean Cyber Monday AirPods deals and Cyber Monday iPad deals, but it also means that deals at your local retailer will be more technologically oriented. Here, we're looking at the Sonos Beam Gen 2 (or Sonos Beam 2, for short) that we think you'll want for the shiny new TV you picked up over the weekend. TVs, as you've probably noticed, don't have the audio power they did when we were kids and can really benefit from the boost, so get the Sonos Beam 2 for $369 while this deal lasts. That's a savings of 26% or $130 down from its usual $499 price. Tap the button below to grab it now, or keep reading for our take on it.

Why you should buy the Sonos Beam 2
The main reason to buy the Sonos Beam 2 is to improve your home's entertainment sound system. Despite being a bar that sits under your TV, it is designed to make a 3D sound experience using Dolby Atmos (so long as you have a TV and content that supports it). It'll also give that extra boost that a thin TV just can't provide when it comes to deeper and louder noises. That being said, even people who prefer TV at quieter volumes ("The kids are sleeping!") will enjoy this soundbar as it has a special 'Night Sound' that deemphasizes the bangs while promoting the quieter ranges of sounds so you can still get a full movie experience at night. Finally, sure, soundbars are for TVs, but you can connect this soundbar to other devices to play music as well, so it is a fully-ranged device.

Deals

Snag this Cyber Monday Insignia TV deal for just $70 (but you have to act fast)

Insignia F20 Series

Even though Black Friday may be officially over, that just means you can shop Cyber Monday deals — and there are still a lot of great Cyber Monday deals rolling around that are worth grabbing. For example, this 32-inch Insignia TV is a great budget choice if you don't really need anything fancy or want something to kit out a van or RV. Even better, you can snag it from Amazon right now for just $70 instead of the usual $130, which saves you a pretty substantial $60 in the process, so it's well worth picking up if you've needed a smaller budget TV. (Just don't wait too long to take advantage of this deal.)

Why you should buy the 32-inch Insignia F20 Series
The only big disadvantage with the F20 Series is that it only runs a 720p resolution, which, at this size, isn't that big of an issue, especially since you'll likely not be sitting just inches away. A big positive is that this actually makes it a great gaming TV since the lower resolution isn't going to tax something like a budget gaming rig. The same goes for something like the Xbox Series S, and even the PS5 and Xbox Series X can benefit from the slightly lower resolution, especially since most of them are locked at 1080p and 60fps anyway.