Typically, a 12 minute, 3-part song vaguely written as allegory about William Shakespeare’s The Tempest would intimidate most listeners. Include this on a major label debut, and it most certainly spells disaster. But this is exactly what The Decemberists have done on The Crane Wife. Bucking the trend of successful indie bands with disappointing major label debuts (see: Death Cab for Cutie), The Decemberists seem to take their signing as a mandate from the music gods. The Crane Wife is their most ambitious and far reaching album to date.
Colin Meloy, the Helena, Montana native who somehow sings with a Brogue, essentially dares listeners to keep up. Evoking both The Doors’ aggressively continuous organ melodic runs and Pink Floyd’s stomping percussion on the aforementioned The Island, Meloy seemlessly fuses modern folk, classic rock, and amazing storytelling. This theme is repeated flawlessly on nearly every track. More than any of their other albums, his influences are more blatantly on display. Even the titling of songs summons the iconic Aeroplane Over The Sea with numbers on three tracks (whether this is an intentional nod to Neutral Milk Hotel remains to be seen). The first track, The Crane Wife 3, built similarly to most Aeroplane songs, contains only three chords, yet somehow sets the tone. A driving drum beat, sans snare, slowly builds to crescendo of piano and feedback guitar that segways seamlessly into The Tempest inspired The Island. Beach Boys and Gibb Brother harmony lines appear sporadically, most notably on Summersong, one of the weaker tracks, and Yankee Bayonet.
On the standout track, The Perfect Crime #2, the organ and bass take center stage. Set up with a one chord groove providing the entire verse backing, Meloy once again paints a picture, describing a robbery involving “Five and twenty burglars by the reservoir / a teenage lookout on the signal tower.” A perfectly distorted guitar that juts in after the simple chorus provides just enough of a break before the next chapter of the burglary begins. The brilliance of this song comes from the lack of emotion provided in the lyrics, as though the crime is the only thing that matters- “The valley’s sleeping like a bastard / it stinks with slumbering disaster.” The casualties of the crime are irrelevant regarding it’s success. Unfortunately, it is followed by the overraught When The War Came, a Led-Zepplin-esque rhythmic misstep.
Those searching for the typical Decemberists’ CD will be disappointed upon first listen. There is no Red, Right Ankle, nor Here, I Dreamt I Was An Architect present on The Crane Wife. This, however, will be the album that we look upon in several years and regard as a turning point for the band. Whether that turn is down a good or bad road, we will see.
Colin Meloy doing “Shankhill Butchers”
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This is a fantastic album. I wasn’t that keen on Picaresque althought I am enjoying it more and wasn’t even going to give this a spin but am glad I did. Great comment with regards to Death Cab. These guys seem to have taken more chances with fantastic results.The Island: Come & See/The Landlord’s Daughter/You’ll Not Feel The Drowning sounds like someting off of Nursery Cryme or Foxtrot.
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