Colin Meloy wants you to know The Decemberists’ supposed “hiatus” was misconstrued. “We know we belong to ya,” he sings over a folky strum to open “The Singer Addresses His Audience,” an examination of the symbiotic relationship between band and fan. “We know you built your lives around us/And would we change?/We had to change some.” The backdrop gradually swells—waves of guitar noise, choirs and strings forming an “I Am the Walrus”-styled wall of sound. It’s a bizarre opening, but no other band could pull off that balance of snark and splendor. It’s also the wackiest moment on What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World, The Decemberists’ seventh LP, but the overall breadth is breathtaking. Instead of relying on a lyrical concept or sonic concept, they’ve tried almost everything once: “Cavalry Captain” is slinky soft-rock with a brass-driven hook; the emotionally bare “Make You Better” recalls vintage Death Cab for Cutie; there are traditional-sounding folk ballads (the bluesy “Carolina Low”) and lusty, dreamy sing-alongs (“Philomena”). Swimming in sprawl, The Decemberists sound liberated.