Hear the folky new album by The Decemberists side project Black Prairie
“Side project” is the most convenient term to use when describing Black Prairie, but the group is much more than simply four-fifths of The Decemberists. On its third full-length, Fortune, the band lets its fiddle-playing frontwoman Annalisa Tornfelt shine warmly as she veers between homey folk-pop and propulsive indie-rock. All members of The Decemberists (save for Colin Meloy) join in—but Black Prairie’s roots-infused sound is catchier, punchier, and more sweetly spring-like.