Orchestral rock band The Definite Articles has completed work on their first full-length album, King Merriweather, released on November 19th, 2010. The seeds for the album were planted by a single song that bandleader Shawn Alpay wrote in 2007. The set of lyrics contained there seemed to describe a much different place than those constructed for his other songs, and it inspired Shawn to compose more in that vein; within a few months, the bulk of the album had been penned. Over the next two years, song arrangements took shape as a full collaboration with the other members of the band. Recording at John Vanderslice's Tiny Telephone in San Francisco commenced this past June; instrumentation recorded during the session ultimately comprised 30 musicians, including woodwinds, horns, harp, choir, and a dozen strings. On King Merriweather, the group constructs a swirling, bittersweet tale of love, choice, and regret. Some songs swell to an epic size, others remain small and restrained; all reinforce a set of underlying themes that take multiple listens to fully uncover. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.