The Decemberists – The Crane Wife

The Decemberists
The Crane Wife

To say that The Decemberists’ new album The Crane Wife is a departure from their previous album is an understatement of huge proportions. If Picaresque was an ambitious, carnival-driven masterpiece, just you wait until you get your ears wrapped around the latest tracks. In addition to his usual pitchman storyteling shtick it’s as if Meloy has simultaneously plugged into the mindspace of more classic rock bands like Yes and Neil Young. That’s just for starters.

These 10 songs include two “song cycles” that top the 10 minute mark: The Crane Wife and The Island. In usual Decemberists fashion, the first song cycle is based upon older literature – namely an old Japanese folk tale called The Crane Wife (see the Wikipedia entry for more info).

Though some might argue that the the transformation from musical oddity to full-fledged superstar indie rock band happened with the last album, The Crane Wife leaves no doubt that the Decemberists have truly arrived.They completely shrug off all of the Neutral Milk Hotel comparisons and the songs really seem to have matured. The initial impression is that the songs are more lush and full, and often much louder.

“The Island” cycle starts off with the total classic rock vibe intro of “Come and See” (I’m almost afraid to say – Steve Miller?) but soon morphs into Neil Young. That then leads into the prog-rock keyboard machinations of “The Landlord’s Daughter”. Whoah. But “You’ll Not Feel The Drowning” ends the cycle more thoughtfully with mellow acoustic guitar arpeggios.

“Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then)” is a great duet with my new favorite songstress Laura Veirs. “The Perfect Crime #2″ could be 70s era disco-ey Rolling Stones, with it’s thumpy beats and basslines. “When The War Came” is much more modern and strident, almost venturing into psuedo-hardcore with those insistent guitar stabs. “Shankill Butchers” is an almost a capella track that seems sort of a throwback to the earlier Meloy days. It sounds a bit creepy though, with a Norfolk and Western approach to the instrumentation. “The Crane Wife 1″ is a more standard pop track that has a keyboard lick that reminds me of a Belle and Sebastian track, The Boy With The Arab Strap.

Personally, I feel like some of the louder tracks complement Colin’s strident voice better than in the past, and tend to distinguish him from other troubadours. But I think this album may take some getting used to for Decemberists fans used to the more sparse feel of earlier tracks. It’s definitely worth the necessary acclimation, however.

Band Website:

The Decemberists

by Tyranosaur