This is a band I have been curious about for a long time and finally decided to pick up their “Picaresque” album, and it is blowing me away. Great music, vocals and storytelling lyrics. Anyone else here into this band and where do I go from here?
This is a band I have been curious about for a long time and finally decided to pick up their “Picaresque” album, and it is blowing me away. Great music, vocals and storytelling lyrics. Anyone else here into this band and where do I go from here?
I love them too. I would say their most progressive with a small "p" album is The Hazards of Love. But I am also quite fond of the latest What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World. Not as epic but the songwriting is much more personal, less abstract.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
The Crane Wife is fantastic. And agree with Hazards of Love recommendation.
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The Crane Wife and the Hazards of Love are two of the best albums of this century. It's early. I really like What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World as well. It's got a 70s Neil Young vibe going.
"And your little sister's immaculate virginity wings away on the bony shoulders of a young horse named George who stole surreptitiously into her geography revision."
Occasional musical musings on https://darkelffile.blogspot.com/
The Crane Wife or The Tain EP should be your next purchase, imo.
Crane Wife, & Hazards Of Love are both great albums, they've gone back to Americana more recently so I've found the last two less to my tastes. Good live band too.
Ian
Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on progrock.com
https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-a...re-happy-hour/
Gordon Haskell - "You've got to keep the groove in your head and play a load of bollocks instead"
I blame Wynton, what was the question?
There are only 10 types of people in the World, those who understand binary and those that don't.
Picaresque is a tremendous album! It can take me to another world. I remember one evening falling deep into "The Bagman's Gambit," completely enraptured. There is so much good stuff there. It was "The Mariner's Revenge Song" that turned me on to the band: a stone cold classic.Originally Posted by SteveSly
I agree that The Crane Wife is also excellent. I enjoyed both so much that The Hazards of Love didn't quite live up to the previous two, but don't let that stop you, it's still a high quality effort. It could be your favorite.
I haven't heard the latest. The only recent band that has turned my screws as hard is Wolf People, from England. They also have a great vibe, and can turn a great story.
Wake up to find out that you are the eyes of the world.
I go along with the consensus...Hazards of Love and Crane Wife are both tremendous, proggy classics.
The last two...more rootsy, folk/country and song-focused. Still good though...
They have definitely embraced a more "folksy" sound of late. While I did not get that much mileage out of their latest ( I have not heard the newest EP) I thought that "The King Is Dead" and the accompanying EP "Long Live The King" were excellent. They are indeed a great live band so if they play in your area go check them out. Colin Melloy is one of the funniest frontmen I have ever seen.
"Corn Flakes pissed in. You ranted. Mission accomplished. Thread closed."
-Cozy 3:16-
I'm mostly a lurker rather than a poster these days but I wanted to chime in. Along with The Flaming Lips, Spoon and Wilco, The Decemberists are one of the better contemporary bands. The earliest stuff is what I call Amerikana rock and Picaresque is a great place to start. They hit their stride with The Tain, which is excellent. The Crane Wife is even better and The Hazards of Love is a masterpiece, in part due to the participation of the guest singers. I'd label those three as Amerikana prog rock, if that makes any sense. The most recent two albums are worth the time --- shorter songs, with a hint of REM. (Try just the song "Down by the Water" from The King Is Dead.) Really, the band has never made a bad album. The lyrics are always fun and the arrangements and playing are spot on. So...go for it! You could always try the live album first...
For that which is not,
there is no coming into being
and for that which is,
there is no ceasing to be;
yea of both of these the lookers into truth have seen an end.
Bhagavad Gita
The Hazards of Love is one of the best concept albums ever. Every time I hear it, I can't help but become invested in the story - how many 'prog' concept albums can you honestly say that about?
Ian Beabout
Mixing and mastering engineer. See ya at ProgDay !
https://cuneiformrecords.bandcamp.co...m/bakers-dozen
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Well you started at a great place, Picaresque is brilliant start to finish. I like all of the early albums too, great song-writing and story telling aplenty.
The Crane Wife and Hazards of Love are indeed proggier and worth your time, the story arc on Hazards is a great one to ponder while listening. I introduced my kids to this album in the car when they were smaller, and we had so much fun on long journeys debating various thoughts and ideas. I took my eldest to see the gig in London too when they performed it start to finish, she loved it, but loved the second set even more when a blow-up whale was bounced around the audience for The Mariners Revenge Song. I took both to see the King Is Dead tour, another great show.
I really love the latest album too, it's a strong set of songs, and I guarantee you'll like this if you like Picaresque.
And they were so comforted by the thought of "Shamefully saddled with three little pests"! Poor Charlotte, Dawn and Isaiah!
Love the Decemberists...and yes, introduced my daughter to them too. With all the heavy concentration of prog bands only playing in the the Mid-Atlantic, at least we Portlanders, get to see them on a regular basis!
"So it goes."
-Kurt Vonnegut
Ah yes but they loved it when they extracted their revenge!And they were so comforted by the thought of "Shamefully saddled with three little pests"! Poor Charlotte, Dawn and Isaiah!
Love the Decemberists...and yes, introduced my daughter to them too. With all the heavy concentration of prog bands only playing in the the Mid-Atlantic, at least we Portlanders, get to see them on a regular basis!
I've managed to see them three times in London, firstly on The Crane Wife tour and then for Hazards of Love and The King Is Dead. You are indeed lucky to be in Portland and see them more frequently,
I decided to order The Crane Wife next. I am one of those strange people who still buy CD's so will get it in a few days.
They are playing in Grand Rapids MI this summer (about 45 minutes or so from me). If I can get tickets I am planning to go. The show is at an outdoor theater called Meijer Gardens which is a sculpture park (kind of hard to describe) that has concerts in the summer. The only bad thing is they put tickets on sale to people who are members of the park first, so sometimes they sell out before going on sale to the general public. Anyway......if there are tickets available I am going to try to go.
While everyone here was focusing on Yes and the HOF induction, I saw the Decemberists last night in a packed, sold-out 1600 seat theater. I had heard of this band for about a decade but had never really heard the music--one exception being a tune someone posted here on PE that sounded like Jethro Tull. I remembered liking that. When I heard they were coming to town I borrowed a few of their CDs from the library and grabbed a ticket.
First, a lot of what you all say above is true: the Decemberists today are not prog at all, even if they once were (a little). The big influences seem to be Robyn Hitchcock, who the singer very much emulates in terms of phrasing and diction, and 10,000 Maniacs.
Yet, even with obvious major influences, they mix the music with bizarre and verbose lyrics in such a way that they are quite original. Amazing to me that a group like this had a #1 album. Most of the fans (ages 20 through 60!) knew all the tunes inside and out and sang along with sea shanties, civil war songs, and one about a father who happily kills his children (referenced above). Everything was drenched in those feel-good chords and melodies used by the 10,000 Maniacs, so even if I didn't know the songs, it was all still very pleasant. And everything had a good beat.
My only quibble would be that the singer treated the historical songs and stories like shtick rather than something universal and transcendental, and worthy of respect. I much prefer the Band's ultra-serious Civil War songs, for example. Robbie Robertson really makes you feel like you are witnessing the horror of the war. This guy thinks the words are all fun or funny.
But I give them credit: the band is clearly a genuine popular phenomenon which they must have built up only based on their own vision and perseverance. They were certainly not following anyone else's plan for success. I wouldn't doubt we'll see them inducted into the HOF in a few years.
That would be my take, but the one you got is also quite good.
Hearing their song "June Hymn" for the 1st time was one of those goosebump moments for me. Very REM-ish. Haven't heard any other Decemberists' that really grabbed me the same way.
I originally posted this about a year ago. Unfortunately I never did get the chance to see them last summer, but have since picked up quite a few more of their albums. Definitely on my bucket list to see. I get the 10,000 Maniacs comparison as there certainly are similarities in the songwriting.
This. Crane Wife is a classic. Listen to the album as is several times, and then make a CD of the 3 crane wife songs in the right order. It is stunning.
I was just thinking last night I hadn't listened to the Decemberists in awhile! They completely blew me away when I got into them a few years back!
Same here, got into them big time 2 years ago based on Crane Wife and Hazards Of Love. Need to replay both, they're very good.
Ian
Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on progrock.com
https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-a...re-happy-hour/
Gordon Haskell - "You've got to keep the groove in your head and play a load of bollocks instead"
I blame Wynton, what was the question?
There are only 10 types of people in the World, those who understand binary and those that don't.
Interesting sounding new Decemberists side project: http://www.avclub.com/article/decemb...ffa-rex-254844
Jeez, that video is a veritable museum of obsolete Sixties keyboards: Baldwin Electric Harpsichord, Vox Continental, Ace Tone organ.
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