Here’s a song to welcome in the year: The Decemberists – “June Hymn”

The Decemberists. Photo by Autumn de Wilde; courtesy of thedecemberists.com

The Decemberists’ “June Hymn” is perhaps my favorite song of 2011. For sheer song-craft, tunefulness, lyricism and beauty, it can’t be topped – in my book. There were plenty of great songs in 2011, but this is one that I have come back to over and over and it always makes for a heartening listen. Colin Meloy’s poetic lyrics are mixed with a sweet folk melody that swirls around like honey in your soul. Their brilliant album The King Is Dead  also featured a good song called “January Hymn” which might have been more apropos for ringing in 2012, but I couldn’t find an official version of that to post here. Anyway, I’m glad I could use “June Hymn” since I like it even more. This is footage of a live performance of the song at MusicfestNW in their home base of Portland, Oregon in September 2010, from The Decemberists’ official YouTube channel. The King Is Dead (released on January 14, 2011) had not yet come out so this song was new to audiences at that time. It’s beautifully filmed and a wonderful performance of a memorable tune. As the opening line says, “Here’s a hymn to welcome in the day…”

Happy 2012, music lovers…