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Decemberists Picaresque Release Date: 03/22/2005 Score: 8.7 out of 10.0 |
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Portland's The Decemberists are back this year with their 3rd full length album, Picaresque. Like their past efforts, this album is full of heavy instrumented folkish songs with acoustic guitars, accordions and shredding oboe solos, led by Colin Meloy's vocals regaling us with tales of pirates and barrow boys with his very unique voice. Picaresque continues in the direction The Decemberists have been going in the past few years, and is arguably their best to date.
The album opens up with the aggressive "The Infantra," that is, aggressive for The Decemberists. It's a quicker number, with hypnotic drums and even some keyboard synths layered about. One of my favorite songs on the album, is the quiet acoustic number, "Eli, The Barrow Boy." It's a pretty simple track, led by an acoustic guitar, and a very light accordion. Meloy tells the tale of, well, Eli the barrow boy, which is a rather touching story. The song is soft and quiet, yet very powerful.
The album picks up the pace quite quickly after "Eli," with the upbeat "The Sporting Life." Though the lyrics are far from upbeat, which Meloy claims to be about playing soccer in Montana, stating that his coach, girlfriend and father all being disappointed in his performance, the song sounds very upbeat. With great drums, the acoustic guitar, and ends up with a great brass section. The second catchiest song The Decemberists have ever written.
On, the 6th track, "From my Own True Love (Lost at Sea)" Meloy goes back to his usual lyrics, about sea voyages and whatnot. It's something very unique to The Decemberists, and it's something I really enjoy about them. I'm not into the usual lyrics about love and that kinda crap, though they are OK from time to time. Personally, I'd rather hear lyrics about pirates and sea adventures.
If "The Sporting Life" is The Decemberists second catchiest song, then "16 Military Wives" is their catchiest. Of course with the acoustic guitar, but also has a louder electric guitar, which is rarely used by The Decemberists, but used quite well here.
Ah yes, then there is "The Mariners Revenge Song." I mean, how more stereotypically Decemberists can you get? The eight plus minute song opens up with an accordion, and of course, Meloy telling us about the mariners revenge. It really sounds like a pirate anthem from the 17th century. It's so easily to get lost in this song, you start creating the images in your head of pirates talking outside your window. Brilliant!
Overall, there is very little wrong with this album. Couple of slightly dull songs here and there, but absolutely nothing to complain about. As I stated in my list of the top 100 albums of the 00's thus far, with Jeff Magnum seemingly disappeared from the music world, Colin Meloy has taken over as the premier American singer-songwriter. Even if Magnum returns, he has to play catch-up to Meloy, who now has 3 quality albums under his belt.
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-Scott Swinford
March 23, 2005
