Again, going through some major maintenance for the restricted content section. Be done in a couple of days. I’ll update the site when it’s all done.
UPDATE: Everything is back to normal, for good this time. Although none of you may notice any difference in the content sections, things are much better now.
Deep in the belly of a whale a wretched mariner takes revenge upon the consumptive pirate that turned his family to ruin, a college lad makes a gaffe on the sporting fields of well cut grass and restrained English, and a spectral barrow boy is doomed to sell his coal and marigolds in the dead of night for all eternity. What could possibly connect these darkened Dickensonian stories?
Picaresque is The Decemberists forthcoming LP and here is the first review of it out there [it turns out this was up two days before leakedalbums.com]. This folows close on the heels of their first two LPs, the single year releases of Castaways and Cutouts and Her Majesty The Decemberists, which both recieved critical acclaim. After these two very similar albums the Decemberists wandered a little further afield with their single track EP The Tain, which combined front man Colin Meloy’s vocal storytelling with an epic, expansive musical background. The Tain has also ranked highly with critics and listeners alike. This means that the poor old Decemberists are loaded with expectations. So somewhere between their continental ramblings of Europe and North America, crashing around in true vagabond style they willed into existence Picaresque. It is hard to say whether Picaresque is better or worse than any of their previous albums, because none of their albums seem better or worse than any other. They seem to fit together into a seemless musical wandering, building as it goes with each jewel they put out.
Chris Dahlen from Pitchfork Media claimed in his review of Her Majesty The Decemberists, “The Decemberists may never escape the label ‘quirky,’ which is a crime.” I think that ship has sailed. The Decemberists seem to have taken “quirky” and made it the standard. They are well beyond merely asking if they can join the party, they are staking out their own musical space. If The Tain was one work of epic scale with a large story and wandering yet grand music, then Picaresque is a closer, intimate collection of folk tales. They still retain the sound from their earlier works, but they have taken on even more patina in their sound. The lyrics have the feel of a well worn antique passed down through a winding course only to be found, surprisingly, in your attic. The music is rich and rhythmic, with outstanding preformances by all members of the band, especially Rachel Blumberg on drums. The music swithces between sonorous croonings by Meloy with very little instrumentation and blasting upbeat choruses filled with sound. Many tracks literally explode with strings and horns in addition to the booming percussion by Blumberg (who may be my favortie female drummer), Jenny Conlee’s invigorating keyboard, and the dual string work from Chris Funk on steel guitar and banjo (and dulcimer?) and Nate Query and his upright bass. There are some very welcome sections of female vocals that have appeared in their previous work, but shine in Picaresque. Simply, this album is built to please, filling the minds eye with swirling images of love, adventure, and the darkness of human struggle, while filling the ears with urgent and swirling sounds.
The opening track “Infanta” holds nothing back, slowly welling up with strange animal calls and drum rolls right into a full out sprint of Meloy lyrics on top of bounding precussion and soaring keyboard work. This blasts open the album and really showcases the skill and craft apparent throughout the album. After this opening salvo the album cools off. “Eli, The Barrowboy” highlights the bittersweet side of the album, with the more traditional Meloy vocals over beautiful guitar work. However, the chorus gives a hint of female vocals (probably Conlee?) backing up Meloy, which is unexpected and wonderful. Then the album takes a quick jaunt with “The Sporting Life,” which must be a less serious counterpoint to Her Majesty’s flagship song “The Soldiering Life.” It takes a page from “I Was Meant For Stage,” with parental disappointment, but is decidedly more jaunty. The Decemberists also break into a bit of new ground “Sixteen Military Wives,” which as far as I can tell is their first politically charged song. Usually I cast a cold eye on such songs, which often tend to self righteousness and pretention and a forced approach to the songwriting. However, as a skeptic I was won over, because The Decemberists pull this one off well.
Now anyone that knows and loves The Decemberists must know that there is one thing that I have yet to mention. There is, dear fans, a pirate song. Perhaps one of the best songs in their repretior. I guess if one were to name a flagship song on the album. This would have to be Picaresque’s pirate corsair command ship. Not only does Meloy absolutely earn his degree in creative writing (quite literally… he has one) but the rest of the band holds nothing back. Female vocals shine like never before, in all their spectral and macabre glory. Conlee’s accordion perfects this seaside chanty of revenge. Funk’s strummings keep pace with the precussion creating a consistent momentum. Beautiful little flourishes abound. Minstrels everywhere bow in homage to this tune. The whole album works just like their others. I am not sure that I can officially pronounce this but I get the feeling this is their best work. There is a very hard to describe quality that the Decemberists have and it is much more pervasive on this album. The whole thing hangs together better than their other albums, and that is a feat. I, as always, stand in amaze at the work these fine folks do. Tip of the hat to all of you.
-Andy
Just an interesting note:
My girlfriend (and the girl that Costa wishes was his girlfriend) Allison is in St. Petersburg and soon to be headed north into Siberia to do research for he honors project on the Gulag prison camps. I have found that a lot of well educated people know very little about these camps. Anyway you can find the site here. She also spent a lot of time getting the page set up to be pretty so you should all compliment her on het l33t h4×0r sk11lz.
Andy found an interesting article that I think would be of interest to the vdov.net community. Here it is. Read, discuss, comment, be merry. It’s the new year!
This is the time of year when Top 10 lists are almost obligatory, so it seemed only right to list my favorite cd releases of the last twelve months. I separated the list into two parts, the Top Top Albums and the Bottom Top Albums. Otherwise the list is in no particular order. I almost titled this the Top Indie Albums of 2004, but then I realized I wasn’t limiting myself to indie music, it’s just that no one else is releasing music of any quality or relevance. This is also not an especially exhaustive list, since there were many albums released that I did not listen to and many albums that were critically acclaimed and supposedly great that I simply didn’t like. I’m picky like that. The list then:
Top Top Albums
The Streets- A Grand Don’t Come for Free
“I joke about this album being emo hip hop, and if you ignore all the baggage that the emo tag entails then the definition is almost appropriate. In other words, A Grand Don’t Come for Free succeeds in conveying real emotion; emotion that has nothing to do with bling, guns, or playas. Anyone who has ever been in a relationship will be able to connect to this album in some way. Some people write off The Streets for having relatively simple beats and trivial lyrics, but they are missing the point. This is hip-hop for the working man, for the regular guy. I know most people will never worry about the size of the diamond encrusted chain around their neck, but we will all deal with a dead cell phone battery, a troubled relationship, and sketchy friends. That’s life, and that’s what The Streets are all about.”
Mclusky- The Difference Between You and Me is I’m Not On Fire
“Maybe I like Mclusky because they are the drunken angry irish Pixies, but their explorations with fun and weird pop songs set this album apart. At first listen, most would scoff at my labeling Mclusky as ‘pop.’ Listen five more times the subtle hooks and addictive weirdness will find you. Many of the songs on The Difference have moments of tribute to bands like the Pixies and Nirvana that are pleasant reminders of where this style of music originated without seeming derivative or trivial. In addition, this album features the perfectly crafted pop gem She Will Only Bring You Happiness, which I can say with little exaggeration is probably the best song released this year.
What a shame these guys broke up just after new years.”
Modest Mouse- Good News For People Who Love Bad News.
“Everytime I see Modest Mouse on The OC or hear Float On on the adult worktime hits radio station I die a little on the inside. Every time some clueless vapid MTV-head asks me if I’ve heard ‘the great new band Modest Mouse?’ I kill them. In the face.
Or at least I imagine killing them, my hipster-snob therapist says that’s a healthy use of my Snob Chi. But I digress. Despite popularity, which is the indie rock assassin, Good News is a great album. We can’t blame Modest Mouse for the industry machine whoring them out to the world. Just be happy that everyone else can now hear the drugged-out, Tom Waits worshipping, and lispily sung music of Isaac Brock. And when you see those annoying 14 year old teenyboppers dancing to Float On, just smile and remember that you are better than them, because you heard of Modest Mouse before they knew how to tie their own shoes.
The Mountain Goats- We Shall All Be Healed
“Call it folk-emo. Or perhaps post-folk lofi-core. Or just stop labeling things and listen to the music, you snob. If you follow the Mountain Goats (and you really should) you know what to expect from We Shall All Be Healed. There is slightly more instrumentation here than on previous LPs, and in my mind it works perfectly. I sometimes wonder how his songs ever worked without the great bass parts that are everywhere on this album. Of course the lyrics are always the center-piece of any Mountain Goats album, and this one does not disappoint. They are at times very clear and emotional, and then in the next line cryptic and odd. This album is not as cohesive as Tallahassee was (it is also not a concept album), but all the songs stand on their own. There is little here to disappoint anyone who enjoys well crafted and interesting folk-rock.
They Might Be Giants- The Spine
“After toying with mediocrity with Mink Car in 2001, and then toying with children’s music with NO! in 2002, They Might Be Giants seem to have recovered to produce an album that is reminiscent of their best work in the early 90’s. Songs like Experimental Film and Thunderbird are among the best they have recorded in their 20+ year career. I could go on and on about this band, but that would be pointless. If you are a fan of TMBG and don’t yet own this, slap yourself and get thee to a record store. If you aren’t a fan of TMBG, go get some free mp3’s from their website and become a fan. Then buy The Spine. It’s not like I’m trying to get you to pick up some over-orchestrated, a-melodic, impossible to listen to piece of indie rock snobbery that is only good to own for name-dropping cred. No, this is fun music for everyone. Unless, of course, you hate yourself.”
Bottom Top Albums
The Owls- Our Hopes and Dreams
“Such a chill and moody album. Put this on next time you need music for homework or chilling out. I can almost forgive them for trying to be The Beatles with a female lead singer.”
The Galactic Heros- Every Sidewalk
“Happiest…album…ever. Listen to it and try not to prance around like a over-caffeinated clown on nitrous. Listening to this seriously made Mr. Andy do the safety dance in the radio station. Behold the Power Of Pop.”
Phantom Planet- Phantom Planet
“I liked them better when the weren’t trying to be the California Strokes, but its still a solid album. If they continue to rework their sound as they have, we can expect more great things from them in the future.”
Cake- Pressure Chief
“Some people were disappointed by this album. I liked it, but a handful of mediocre tracks prevent it from really blowing me away. Mostly it is exactly what you would expect from a Cake album. And I like Cake albums.”
Things Explode- It’s Never Worked Before
“I think this is technically an EP, but whatever. These guys show real promise. How do I know this? One time I was absent mindedly listening to them and thought, “Hey, this sounds like a Pavement B-side.” “Except, unlike a Pavement b-side….it sounds good!”
All file services will be down today for an undetermined amount of time. As soon as they are back up, I’ll make sure to let everyone know. I’m moving around a number of partitions, transitioning from old to new drives, etc.
UPDATE: 24 hours later, I’m done. Although none of you out there will notice any real difference, content services have been vastly improved. Enjoy!