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The Decemberists – The Crane Wife · by Sach O
Nerd rock forever, Nerd Rap never
I don’t feel like giving Timberlake, Young Dro, Beyonce or Juelz and Wayne any press since none of their albums/mixtapes did much for me, so it’s the return of white people shit. This time I’ll be focusing on new material by one of my current favorite indie pop-rock bands and an act that’s nowhere near as cool as those artists. In fact they’re downright nerdy.
The Decemberists have been on the grind for quite some time, releasing three quality full lengths, a 20 minute pop-metal epic and an early EP all while tinkering with their sound to keep things fresh. The little drama-rock band that could, their theatricality has proved to be a surprisingly long lasting anomaly in a musical landscape littered by quasi-anonymous dance punk and major label deficient pop-abortions more concerned with their faux-hawks and extra-medium shirts than…well anything. Last year’s Piquaresque leaned towards the band’s more delicate side, lacing even the up-tempo material with rich horn arrangements and melodramatic overtones. The aesthetic suited Colin Meloy’s stories of pirates and damsels in distress well and earned the band their fair share of admiration from the fickle trend-chasers, enough to catch the attention of major label Capitol Records. This year’s The Crane Wife flips the script however: The band have decided to toughen up a bit by discarding the brass section, throwing 70’s style organ solos into the mix, cranking up the amps and moving the drums up front. This isn’t to say that the Decemberists have become unrecognizable in the slightest: all of the band’s hallmarks are intact and the Meloy had previously toyed with heavier material as far back as Odalisque from their debut. Rather, The Crane Wife continues the Decemberists’ tradition of consistently engaging albums offering plenty for fans new and old.
In fact, new and old could be the album’s mission statement as the band simultaneously branches out and reins it in resulting in a very complete and satisfying album that should appeal to a wide audience without alienating their existing fan base. Summersong and Yankee Bayonet are alt-pop gems that would have been single-worthy on any of their previous releases while Shankill Butchers fills the obligatory cautionary-tale quota with its sparse guitar strumming. The Perfect Crime and When the War Came meanwhile are heavier rockers, the first a driving dance floor ready affair that manages to somehow make perfect sense and the second a distortion heavy anti-war number with apocalyptic overtones. The band does slip up on O Valencia, a rather standard indie rocker whose drum beat and downward chord progression feels a little middle of the road, hampering Meloy’s tragic tale of a love gone wrong. But all things considered their albums have always had at least one throwaway and this is one is actually quite listenable.
Then there are the album’s two centerpieces, The Island and The Crane Wife. The first is a 12 minute prog-rock odyssey with crunchy blues, banshee wails and enough ELP organ fills to earn it a spot on late night classic rock radio. The Decemberists’ theatricality always hinted at possible extended jams and The Tain was proof that it could work, but The Island’s grandiosity, multiple melodies and sheer uniqueness in an era where virtuosity is shunned makes it all the more interesting. At a time where indie-pop snobs are ironically embracing the 3 minute corporate sponsored single and 80’s faux-nostalgia, it takes cojones to drop something that could have been side 3 of a Rush double album. The Crane Wife on the other hand is far more subtle, a slow building explosive pop number based on a Japanese fable recounting how a man’s love and greed doom him to loneliness. Sequenced out of order as the album’s first and penultimate tracks, the concept takes a few listens to comprehend but ultimately prove to be rewarding to fans of Meloy’s lovelorn brand of poetry though his emotional outbursts can be a bit much.
Capitol’s capital clearly hasn’t changed the Decemberists’ thought process though some of the harder edged material may throw their frail fans off. The grand majority should be more than satisfied with this newest chapter in the Decemberists’ saga. Or maybe they’ll all be busy listening to Timberlake and Beyonce. Either way, good album.
Comments for "The Decemberists – The Crane Wife"
Haha, I did like a triple-take when I saw this.
You really weren’t feeling that Blow mixtape?
— mike Aug 30, 07:43 PM
I thought it had some tight lines but the production on the new stuff was really underwhelming. Wayne and Juelz have done all they can with cheap beats and need real producers to go to the next level if you ask me. The Nina Simone sample was smart though.
And I’m all about Indie Pop…except when I’m not which is a fair amount of time. Depends on the band. I like these guys though and hope they do well in the majors.
— Sach Aug 30, 08:16 PM
I was surprised to see a blog about these guys on this site; yes, they are awesome.
— Mathew Sep 2, 03:41 AM
Great review; your analysis is thorough and coincides with my own sentiments about the album. Rock on.
— Perineum Party Sep 13, 05:08 PM
Perfectly stated, almost. I must beg to differ on one point. I found “O Valencia” to be perfectly delightful and one of my favorites on the CD, while I mostly skip The “Perfect Crime.”
As a long time fan I had more than my fair share of fears that their sound would change but I feel that if anything, this album is the best so far. The musical nods to ELP as well as Pink Floyd are what I felt has been missing in their earlier work (namely, acknowledging that some music has been made between 1832 and now).
The best part is that it gets better the more times I listen to it. I’ve probably listened to the full CD a good 15 times while I’ve played Yankee Bayonet and O Valencia at least 20X each.
One last thing, the duet in Yankee Bayonet is one of the most interesting and satisfying I have heard this decade. The delicate counter harmony between Meloy and Laura Veirs is breathtakingly beautiful.
Sorry, I guess this was more of an addendum than a comment. I talk about this album way too much as it is…
— Skylar Sep 21, 10:01 PM