I have never listened to the Decemberists because they always seemed like some sort of band for people who like 'folky' sounding indie or something. Like cool dads or girls who doodle pictures of unicorns and like bands that have a dude with a really 'distinct' voice that sounds kinda like a joke. I'm sure some people would say they are 'brilliant', but they would probably also say Sufjan Stevens, Architecture in Helsinki, Of Montreal, and Iron and Wine are their favourite indie bands.

Anyways, they some how have the #1 album in America. Have no idea who likes this band/who listens 2 this band, but I feel like there is some huge grid of people who still 'read Rolling Stone and listen to NPR'. No idea who these ppl are. Does this mean the Novemberists are 'hella relevant'? Or are they just a honky ass Kings of Leon-wave indie band?

The Decemberists' sixth album The King is Dead debuted at the top of Billboard's album chart this week, scoring not only the band's first Number One album but also the best first-week sales performance of their career. Their previous high water mark for sales was the opening week for their previous album The Hazards of Love, which peaked at Number 14 with approximately 19,000 units sold. The King is Dead performed significantly better, selling 93,567 copies last week.

Have yall heard the Decemberists?
Are they 'relevant'?
Did they 'cheat' 2 win the #1 album by selling steeply discounted digital albums?

Much of the album's retail success was online, with digital sales accounting for 65 percent of all units sold. The breakdown of the digital sales figures by retail outlet (iTunes, Amazon, etc.) is unknown, though it's worth noting that The King is Dead was sold at a deep discount — $3.99 — in Amazon's MP3 store.

Can indie bands ever win a #1 record without 'cheating' and selling their album at a discount 4 the first week?
Should I check out the Decemberists?
What do they sound like?
Is Collin Malloy 'hotter' than Win Butler/Ezra Koenig?
Is this another 'victory' 4 indie, or just further evidence of the mainstreamification of indie?