On Her Majesty, the Decemberists' follow-up to their excellent debut, Castaways and Cutouts, the group cements its reputation as a seafaring Belle & Sebastian or a more grounded Neutral Milk Hotel. Tying together sweet symphonic pop with a ragtag theatricality, this album is more ambitious and more scattered than Castaways and Cutouts, making it an initially less accessible and more difficult listen. However, many of Her Majesty's most indulgent moments are among its best, including the high drama of the album opener, "Shanty for the Aretheusa," an epic that runs with the dark beauty that haunted the corners of the Decemberists' debut and gives it a wild, rambling edge. Likewise, "The Gymnast, High Above the Ground" also displays the band's expertise at creating subtle but palpable drama and swooning romanticism with just a few musical brush strokes. The wonderfully named "I Was Meant for the Stage," a triumphantly bittersweet song for the inner drama queen in everyone, shows off Colin Meloy's uniquely expressive voice: at one moment he's lispingly fey; the next, he's sneering self-deprecatingly. These beautiful, challenging songs make the band's occasional dips into treacle, such as the cloying "Billy Liar," forgivable, but what makes Her Majesty such a solid album is the consistent quality of the songs pitched between its high and low points. "Los Angeles, I'm Yours" flirts with soft rock, coming across as a latter-day single from Al Stewart; "Your Red Right Ankle" is an intimately and creatively detailed love song; and "Song for Myla Goldberg" has a sunny, winning appeal. Even though Her Majesty isn't quite as striking and full-formed as Castaways and Cutouts, it's still a consistently charming album that finds the band coming into its own.
this tune was playing in my car a few nights ago. stoned and sad and listening and looking at everything around me. everything i saw took me back. brought me back to a not so distant past. the places and the thoughts of what used to be came rushing back to me. never had a feeling felt so empowering before. a wave of wishing and remembering washed me away to a some other time. i didn't come b...
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Hello all,Pre-sale tickets for our upcoming spring US tour dates will be available through Ducat King. The pre-sale begins on Tuesday, 1/23 at 1:00 pm local time for each venue (so, for shows in Boston that's 1:00 pm EST. For Chicago, 1:00 pm CST. And for Seattle, 1:00 pm PST). Tickets for the University of IL date will not be offered for pre-sale until a later to be determined date. $1.00 of e...
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As my cubicle neighbor, the lovely Miss Tackett, informed me today, The Decemberists are playing today at the SXSW festival. I've been a big fan of these guys for a while now. Here is one of my favorite videos from them. My apologies to anyone in LA for any offense rendered.
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We were answering daughter's questions last night about bands we liked and concerts we attended in our youth. Got us talking about the opening bands who had to take some punishment from audiences who just wanted to hear the headliner. Ever hear of Jimmie Spheeris? He opened for a Moody Blues concert my husband attended and evidently it was brutal, the booing and jeering. What's the best opening...
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Something about "Red Right Ankle" makes me want to cry. But in a good way. Cleansing tears instead of the wallowing sort. It had the same effect on me when I saw it live. This part kills me:Some had crumbled you straight to your knees Did it cruel, did it tenderly Some had crawled their way into your heart To rend your ventricles apart This is the story of the boys who loved you This is the sto...
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this tune was playing in my car a few nights ago. stoned and sad and listening and looking at everything around me. everything i saw took me back. brought me back to a not so distant past. the places and the thoughts of what used to be came rushing back to me. never had a feeling felt so empowering before. a wave of wishing and remembering washed me away to a some other time. i didn't come b...
More >
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 "Her Majesty")
