"Confessed Anglophile Colin Meloy's affinity for U.K. folk music finally comes full circle on The Queen of Hearts, a meticulously crafted collaboration between the Decemberists and English folk artist Olivia Chaney (...) with the supremely talented Chaney channeling Sandy Denny and Maddy Prior, delivering pitch-perfect takes on seasoned tales both bucolic and brooding. Meloy and company also adopt the Span/Convention template, fleshing things out with spindly electric guitars, fiddle, and lumbering drums ... As committed a piece of retro-leaning English folk-rock as one could hope for - there's even some Morris dance music. Meloy and Chaney's genuine love for the source material is apparent throughout"

"You're not going to go far wrong with Chaney - a thrilling singer, the Anne Briggs of her generation - on a set of folk standards, but Meloy and co also deliver. A shimmering, echoing ambience includes chiming guitars, drones, cello, harpsichord and harmonium; the churning The Old Churchyard is a standout. Echoes of Fairport, Span, Thompson et al abound, but Offa Rex has its own compelling identity, and should win Chaney an international name"