If we’re going to be honest, the Decemberists hit their peak a while ago. This said, the macabre, folksy offshoot Black Prairie is on the up and up, and the group hits town on Friday. A completely separate project from the Decemberists, Black Prairie features some of the same members, but a sound all of its own: Blending strings, accordions and often virtuosic, swampy classical licks, it’s the sort of band that will make you want to lie down in the grass and watch the sunset. And when it’s dark, the romp and stomp can begin.

Black Prairie plays 7:30pm Friday, Feb. 1, at The Shedd; $18 & $22.