I have rarely if ever been as instantly engaged by music on first hearing as I have been by the Decemberists album that I received today as a birthday present from
shiva_matimbres. My initial assessment is that they are clever, folky and literate, somewhere between Spirit Of The West and Belle And Sebastian with moments that remind me of many other bands that I love. All in all it's a bit like they sat down and decided to write music targetted directly at me.