Colin Meloy and his brave Decemberists made the unlikely jump to a major label after 2005's excellent Picaresque, a move that surprised both longtime fans and detractors of the band. While it is difficult to imagine the suits at Capitol seeing dollar signs in the eyes of an accordion- and bouzouki-wielding, British folk-inspired collective from Portland, OR, that dresses in period Civil War outfits and has been known to cover Morrissey, it's hard to argue with what the Decemberists have wrought from their bounty. The Crane Wife is loosely based on a Japanese folk tale that concerns a crane, an arrow, a beautiful woman, and a whole lot of clandestine weaving. The record's spirited opener and namesake picks off almost exactly where Picaresque left off, building slowly off a simple folk melody before exploding into some serious Who power chords. This is the first indication that the band itself was ready to take the loosely ornate, reverb-heavy Decemberists sound to a new sonic level, or rather that producers Tucker Martine and Chris Walla were. On first listen, the tight, dry, and compressed production style sounds more like Queens of the Stone Age than Fairport Convention, but as The Crane Wife develops over its 60-plus minutes, a bigger picture appears. Meloy, who along with Destroyer's Dan Bejar has mastered the art of the North American English accent, has given himself over to early-'70s progressive rock with gleeful abandon, and while many of the tracks pale in comparison to those on Picaresque, the ones that succeed do so in the grandest of fashions. Fans of the group's Tain EP will find themselves drawn to "Island: Come and See/The Landlord's Daughter/You'll Not Feel the Drowning" and "The Crane Wife, Pts. 1 & 2," both of which are well over ten minutes long and feature some truly inspired moments that echo everyone from the Waterboys and R.E.M. to Deep Purple and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, while those who embrace the band's poppier side will flock around the winsome "Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then)," which relies heavily on the breathy delivery of Seattle singer/songwriter and part-time Decemberist Laura Veirs. Some cuts, like the English murder allad "Shankill Butchers" and "Summersong" (the latter eerily reminiscent of Edie Brickell's "What I Am"), sound like outtakes from previous records, but by the time the listener arrives at the Donovan-esque (in a good way) closer, "Sons & Daughters," the less tasty bits of The Crane Wife seem a wee bit sweeter.
This band just recently popped into my life after seeing them at Bonnaroo '07. When I got home, I went ahead and downloaded "The Crane Wife" on iTunes. This may have been one of the best purchases I have ever made.This whole album is solid, from end to end. My favorites are The Crane Wife 3, Shankill Butchers, O Valencia, and the end segment of The Island.One thing that really does bug me, howe...
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Today I took a couple of Starbucks exclusive tracks off of my mom's computer(Hurdles Even Here and The Perfect Crime #2/ The Day I Knew You'd Not Come Home) and I'm back on my Decemberists hook. Their latest album "The Crane Wife" got me hooked last year(it was my favorite album of the year) and I then bought Picaresque(also an amazing album) and subsequently fell in love with the band. They a...
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Today I took a couple of Starbucks exclusive tracks off of my mom's computer(Hurdles Even Here and The Perfect Crime #2/ The Day I Knew You'd Not Come Home) and I'm back on my Decemberists hook. Their latest album "The Crane Wife" got me hooked last year(it was my favorite album of the year) and I then bought Picaresque(also an amazing album) and subsequently fell in love with the band. They a...
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Disclaimer: I love these guys. The following review will be totally and completely biased.Last November, when the Decemberists were in Seattle, Colin Meloy was sick. Very sick. So, Colin promised to make that up to us last night. And boy howdy, did they!They played mostly from their current album, The Crane Wife, which was alright with me since I love it. I did miss some of their older st...
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This concert happened a verrryy long time ago (Feb. 22) and I'm just now writing about it! Getting to the venue (La Maroquinerie, Paris) was an adventure. It was about 30 min. from where I lived via metro and then it was on a side street after a series of huge hills. But my friend and I made it in time. When we got there, Lavender Diamond was just starting their set and they were amazing! Her v...
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For me, The Decemberists have always seemed like an odd little band. Nice and folksy, but perhaps just a bit too literate (and too obsessed with history and military battles) for their own good. Then Santa brought me The Crane Wife, and I was sold. After seeing them perform I am truly in love.Because life is way too busy, I arrived at the show late and missed opening act, My Brightest Diamon...
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I'm really enjoying the whole album, The Crane Wife. I can't stop playing "The Island, Come And See, The Landlord's Daughter, You'll Not Feel The Drowning". Even though it's so long, it's my favorite on the album. While wondering what the song was about, i found this site..http://www.songmeanings.net/lyric.php?lid=3530822107858618544very enlightening.....
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just listening to the crane wife this morning and this song jumped out at me. it's really kinda rad. i'm really digging all the extra percussion stuff on it. yay for april when i get to see them!have a great one!
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Hello. I'll be taking a lot more than I'm giving (at first at least). I have let my musical exploration lapse and have just resumed it with this site, right now. Here are a couple groups I like: The Decemberists, The White Stripes (and the Raconteurs by proxy). Enjoy the pic of the prettiest, meanest cat you'll ever meet and I will enjoy the music you're posting. I will gladly take suggesti...
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I've now listened to The Crane Wife every day for a week. I'm a little obsessed with this album.Luckily The Decemberists are playing St. Louis on April 14th! Tickets go on sale at 5pm today, so I have to stay late at work to get them. I'm so getting seats. No more GA for me.
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From Blender:Favorite new word or catchphraseThe double-puff muff. It’s not as nasty as it sounds — it’s a breakfast sandwich, but on an English muffin.Man-crush of 2006I’ll say Stephen Colbert. We could play Dungeons & Dragons.Country the U.S. should “liberate” nextFlorida. The weather’s too nice — we need to liberate them from their joie de vivre.Will you be our MySpace friend?Ab
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In my opinion, The Crane Wife was definitely one of the best albums of 2006. (Further proof that all good things come from Portland... There must be something in the water.) I'm not surprised because I generally adore everything by The Decemberists but the sound of this album was a bit of a surprise. I'm glad to see that their sound has evolved a little but not to the extent that it's unrecogni...
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2006 was kind of a rough year for me to do a "Best of..." list, due to being overseas and not getting to hear a lot of the albums that are making a lot of other peoples' lists. So if you are wondering where M. Ward, Joanna Newsome, TV on the Radio, or Bob Dylan are, I haven't heard them, so I can't include them. Sorry. But without further adieu, here are my top ten. 1. The Decemberists - The Cr...
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Well, it's that time of year again. Here goes nothing:1. The Decemberists - The Crane Wife2. Bob Dylan - Modern Times3. Band of Horses - Everything All The Time4. The Hold Steady - Boys and Girls in America5. Joanna Newsom - Ys6. Islands - Return to the Sea7. Destroyer - Destroyer's Rubies8. Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit9. Tapes n' Tapes - The Loon10. Beck - The Information 11. TV on t...
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Ok...let's just start with the understanding that there are no stupid questions.If you download music, illegally, you are not paying the artist. If you buy a used CD, you are not paying the artist.In both cases someone had to originally buy the CD, and the artist was paid, but from then on...what?So, ethically, what is the difference?Yes, I agree that it spreads much faster as an illegal downl...
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For those in the vicinity of Portland, Oregon this weekend, The Decemberists will play an hour-long set at a Rally with Barack Obama THIS SUNDAY, May 18th. The rally will take place at The Bowl in Waterfront Park, Corner of SW Columbia St. and Naito Pkwy, just south of the Hawthorne Bridge. Doors open at 12:30 pm and The Decemberists will play shortly thereafter. The event is free and open to t...
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Indie's story-tellers are back and they have a three volume series of singels to show for themselves. They've just announced they will be releasing Always The Bridesmaid: A Singles Series this fall online and on 12" vinyl. The series will be available digitally at DSPs, released by Capitol Records, and on 12" vinyl via The Decemberists' own label, Y.A.B.B. Records/Jealous Butcher Records. Fan...
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Hm. I've heard some interesting stuff in the background for some of these Olympic Games commercials. The Killers, Sia's "Breathe Me" (which, if I remember correctly, is also used in the Brideshead Revisited trailer) and...wait...was that...no...it can't be...I don't believe my ears...The Decemberists?! Crane Wife 3?! On an AT&T commercial?! WHAAAAT???? Oh those crazy D's. It seems like they've ...
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Disclaimer: I love these guys. The following review will be totally and completely biased.Last November, when the Decemberists were in Seattle, Colin Meloy was sick. Very sick. So, Colin promised to make that up to us last night. And boy howdy, did they!They played mostly from their current album, The Crane Wife, which was alright with me since I love it. I did miss some of their older st...
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This post is long overdue, as well as far too preemptive. I love The Decemberists, if you had asked me any time in the last year or so who my favorite artists was (as I am asked frequently), I probably would have responded with whoever i had just happened to have been listening to. Some got Broken Social Scene, Sufjan Stevens, others heard Stars or Wolf Parade, but the real answer was The Decem...
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This is why I love me some Decemberists!Another unique tour, an EP, a free download and more!From the Decemberists, here it is:Fast on the heels of the upcoming European fall tour, newly dubbed "The Bride of Crane Wife" Tour, we here at Decemberists HQ are virtually falling over ourselves to announce to you, dear Mailing List Recipient, a very special US national tour. We've called it "The Long...
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Too many bands to list! Loads of big names and favorites!NYC - Chicago - San FranciscoApril 20-22 2007The Green Apple Festival is committed to raising environmental awareness by combining live musical performances from diverse genres with educational outreach and cultural events suitable for all audiences. The entire event will be made carbon neutral.Go to the Green Apple Festival website for...
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:(Was planning on going to all 4 shows a tthe Fillmore. I hope whomever is ill, gets better soon.Here is the official statement:With much regret The Decemberists have cancelled the remainder of "The Long and Short of It" tour.One of our band members has been ill for a while but we thought all would be well in time for these tour dates. After a couple shows, though, it has become clear that the ...
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I'm really enjoying the whole album, The Crane Wife. I can't stop playing "The Island, Come And See, The Landlord's Daughter, You'll Not Feel The Drowning". Even though it's so long, it's my favorite on the album. While wondering what the song was about, i found this site..http://www.songmeanings.net/lyric.php?lid=3530822107858618544very enlightening.....
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Who are the introductory culprits for a new segment unveiled on The Colbert Report last night (Nov. 29) called Who’s Riding My Coattails Now? Answer:"Indie rock outfit The Decemberists, who have shot a performance against a green screen and asked their fans to finish the video. Green screen? Hmmmmm ... where have I heard that before? Does THIS look familiar to anyone in the indie rock scene? ..
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The Decemberists, the pride of the Portland scene, will make the rounds through most of America's major cities on what they are calling "The Long And Short Of It" tour. Details were recently released by the group's publicist.??The long and short of it?? is that the group has scheduled 29 performances in 12 cities, most notably a four night run at San Francisco's The Fillmore as well another 4 n...
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Popular bands don't make videos as wonderfully sick as this. Seriously, does Colin Meloy have a brother?
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Apparently, my hook up for advance copies of albums just recieved the new Decemberists album, if I can get it from him I'll be doing my next podcast sooner than later, then I'll take over the world.
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Upon first listen, the new Decemberists' album sounds like it was recorded for my mother. With few exceptions, most of the songs play like they were gleaned from 70s lite pop radio. One of my friends put it best when he said "this screams NPR". Color me unimpressed, but that's not to say it's a terrible album. The Crane Wife is filled to the brim with Meloy's signature allusion and literary sty...
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 "The Crane Wife")
