Artist	Song
R.E.M.	Cuyahoga
from And I Feel Fine... The Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982-1987 (2006)
U2	Sunday Bloody Sunday
from U218 Singles (Deluxe Version) (2006)
The Replacements	Unsatisfied
from Let It Be (2006)
Siouxsie and the Banshees	Dear Prudence
from The Best of Siouxsie and The Banshees (2002)
The Kinks	Sunny Afternoon
from Pirate Radio (Motion Picture Soundtrack) [Deluxe Version] (2009)
Neutral Milk Hotel	The King of Carrot Flowers, Pt. 1
from In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (1998)
The Magnetic Fields	I Don't Believe You
from i (2004)
XTC	Sgt. Rock (Is Going to Help Me)
from Black Sea (2003)
Robyn Hitchcock	Uncorrected Personality Traits
from I Often Dream of Trains (2007)
The Waterboys	Fisherman's Blues
from Fisherman's Blues (2006)
Morrissey	Suedehead
from Viva Hate (2009)
Anne Briggs	Blackwater Side
from A Collection (1999)
The Beautiful South	I'll Sail This Ship Alone
from Carry On Up The Charts - The Best Of The Beautiful South (1994)
Fairport Convention	Come All Ye
from Liege and Lief (2007)
Shirley Collins & Albion Country Band	Murder of the Maria Marten
from No Roses (2010)
The Jayhawks	Sister Cry
from Hollywood Town Hall (2008)
Nic Jones	The Humpback Whale
from Penguin Eggs (1991)

Comment:

Few bands have the sheer vocabulary and vision of The Decemberists; working with such a vast canvas, they've thoughtfully — no, gleefully — drawn from every shade of the sonic palette. If you thought Mumford & Sons were the first to rediscover Brit-folk's golden era, think again: half-a-decade earlier, The Decemberists tapped into the electric socket of Fairport Convention's Brit-to-the-bone folk anthem "Come All Ye" for inspiration. Not only did they pick up a tip or two on constructing a concept album from Pink Floyd, but they dug into the crates even further for a taste of jangly psych-pop from Floyd's first single, "Arnold Layne." R.E.M.'s stripped-down take on roots-rock, heard here on "Cuyahoga," left a big muddy footprint on The Decemberists' latest album; in fact, R.E.M.'s Peter Buck guests on several tracks. And we can't forget The Jayhawks, whose twin-harmony twang in "Sister Cry" marries indie to Americana in one gorgeous gleam. From U2 to Siouxsie & the Banshees to XTC, The Decemberists have taken their cues from both large and small, far and wide.

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