Watch The Decemberists Showcase New Album Tracks For 'Saturday Sessions'

A week later release of the Decemberists' first album in six years, the longtime Portland-based band visited CBS Mornings' Saturday Sessions to play three tracks As it ever was, so shall it be again.

For the studio performance, Colin Meloy and company performed 'Burial Ground', 'Long White Veil' and 'All I Want Is You' from their new double album, The Decemberists' first LP since 2018. I'll be your girl.

Plus, Meloy sat down with correspondent Jeff Glor to chat As it ever was, so shall it be again — the band's longest album, helped by the fact that it includes a 19-minute song — as well as the Decemberists' upcoming world tour.

As Meloy notes at the outset, As it ever was, so shall it be again it also marks the longest gap between albums for the prolific band who once put out six LPs over nine years in the early 2000s. “I feel like six years is a long time when we were a younger band. Now I feel like this is appropriate,” said the singer.

Meloy added of his long-term songwriting strategy: “Humor is a big part of the music I write, so it's always been the thing I've been shooting for. I feel like there's a way to make something deadly serious and really speak to people's souls, but also really funny.”

However, Meloy – who appears as a young adult author alongside his illustrator wife Carson Ellis – admitted he prefers writing novels to songs, despite the latter's “immediate reward”. “I've been more drawn to writing books, writing prose,” he said.