The King Is Dead is the sixth studio album by The Decemberists, released on Capitol Records on January 14, 2011.

"[6] The King Is Dead was recorded during spring 2010,[7] with most of it being made in a six-week period in a barn at an 80-acre (320,000 m2) site called Pendarvis Farm, near Portland, Oregon.

[14] The King Is Dead has been called the "most pastoral, rustic record they've ever made" by Douglas Wolk of Rolling Stone.

[15] On November 1, 2011, the outtakes EP Long Live the King was released, collecting six songs recorded during these sessions.

The King Is Dead debuted atop the Billboard 200 and sold 94,000 copies in its first week, making it the band's most commercially successful album.