POISON SCOOTER

The Decemberists: The Crane Wife

I'm a bit late on this review, as the first album The Decemberists dropped for Capitol Records officially came out back in October of 2006. And to make matters worse, if you read any music themed blog (Stereogum, Pitchfork, etc.) I'm sure you have seen at least casual mention about how strong the album The Crane Wife truly is. Universal acclaim is one of those things you have to take notice of when it comes to music, and so I've given the cd a thorough listen and decided that it's a winner.

As a fan of Picaresque, an early release of The Decemberists, one would think I would have run out and grabbed this cd up immediately. Well, one would be wrong. Here's why. I was not sure I could really appreciate Colin Meloy's voice for another album. Much like Death Cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard, Meloy has a very muppetesque vocal style that outside of small doses can sound more engineered than genuine. But in all reality one of the strengths of The Crane Wife is just how Meloy's voice adds something to the sound of the record. The Decemberists manage to sound at once contemporary yet oddly nostalgic at once on songs like When The War Came and Sons and Daughters. The record could be called revolutionary (war) ish or something equally as clever, but to make jokes would take away from the impact that the record has as a collective of very involving and interesting songs.

While pop acts toil away at the next hook or double entendre, this band is crafting melodic and grandiose compositions layered with instrumentation and brimming with life. Now Fergilicious has it's place, but it would be a better world if the kids were singing along to a rousing song like O, Valencia instead. That's all I'm saying.

posted by Scooter @ 1:10 PM