Year: 2009
The album is a rock opera and I’m not super crazy about it, but I enjoy the albums first track quite a bit. From the wiki:
The plot is a love story: a woman named Margaret (voiced by Stark) falls in love with a shape-shifting boreal forest dweller named William (voiced by Meloy). William’s mother, the jealous Forest Queen (voiced by Nova), and the villainous Rake (also voiced by Meloy) bring conflict to the album’s story arc.
Death By Troggles 
Ah, The Rake’s Song is a classic! Love this album. You’ve inspired me to listen to it today.
“O Valencia”, off The Crane Wife is another great song. Definitely their most poppy (I wouldn’t say “upbeat”, since it ends, as so many Decemberists songs do, in death and misery).
Dang, that’s good. Thanks!