There is something about The Decemberists’ artwork that is so them. It fits the verbose, literary, beautifully (oftentimes) dark imaginings of the lyrics .

And it is so quaint, old timey and made with such care. I imagine someone in a workshoppe toiling away by candlelight.

When the band first started to warrant attention, it seemed quite gutsy even for an indie band, simply because it’s not really design-y cool. But it’s different.

Carson Ellis, the wife of frontman Colin Meloy, does the artwork and here are her latest creations — packshots for the album Hazards of Love and for the single ‘The Rake’s Song’. The band have asked punters to design the poster for their upcoming SXSW gig where they will debut the album live in concert on NPR. Maybe Carson needs a holiday…

The Decemberists – MySpace