Words cannot accurately describe my love for The Decemberists. The language lyricists Colin Meloy uses is
outrageously verbose. It's stylistic, epic. His alliteration, the sibilance.. the batshit wonderfulness! It hits me hard, right where it should. (The
heart.)
The Crane Wife
Named after the story of the Crane Wife, which depicts a story about a poor man who finds a wounded crane on his doorstep, with an arrow through it. The man tends for the crane and sends it off when it's recovered. Shortly thereafter a woman appears on his doorstep, they fall in love and they marry. Since he's poor, she weaves silk cloths for selling, with one condition - he must never watch her make them. So they prosper from her weaves and live well. Oblivious to his wife's failing health, he becomes greedy and demands more and more cloths. One day he peeks in the room while she's weaving, shocked to find the crane plucking feathers from her body and weaving them. The crane sees him, flies away and never returns. To which Colin sadly sings in The Crane Wife 3:
Every one of the tracks are wonderfully written, produced and executed. Their lyrics have instilled in me the discipline of looking words up while reading. Their melodic anthems beg you to sing along...until the lyrics actually start sinking, that is. Take for instance The Landlord's Daughter (the second part to The Island trio):
Their extraordinaire penchant for words calls for the most compelling and excellently phrased storytelling. One can find this throughout all their albums, not just Crane Wife. They are masters at implanting the mood of a song onto their audience. In fact, there's one song I always skip while listening late at night.. because it creeps the living daylights out of me the way no horror film can:
Whimsical tales, operatic, grandiose, infectious music and an articulate, poetic frontman. I could ask for no more. Five stars to the album, five stars for the band.
The Crane Wife
Named after the story of the Crane Wife, which depicts a story about a poor man who finds a wounded crane on his doorstep, with an arrow through it. The man tends for the crane and sends it off when it's recovered. Shortly thereafter a woman appears on his doorstep, they fall in love and they marry. Since he's poor, she weaves silk cloths for selling, with one condition - he must never watch her make them. So they prosper from her weaves and live well. Oblivious to his wife's failing health, he becomes greedy and demands more and more cloths. One day he peeks in the room while she's weaving, shocked to find the crane plucking feathers from her body and weaving them. The crane sees him, flies away and never returns. To which Colin sadly sings in The Crane Wife 3:
Each feather it fell from skinThe lyrical content in this album appears to be themed, it mostly deals with war, death, bones, bile and crimes. Sound depressing? Sure. But is it? It's all a matter of opinion of course, but as far as mine goes it's about as depressing as accordions, wurlitzers, organs, drums, violins, guitars, strings and piano filled music can be.
'Til thread bare and she grew thin
How were my eyes so blinded?
Each feather it fell from skin
And I will hang my head, hang my head low
And I will hang my head, hang my head low
Every one of the tracks are wonderfully written, produced and executed. Their lyrics have instilled in me the discipline of looking words up while reading. Their melodic anthems beg you to sing along...until the lyrics actually start sinking, that is. Take for instance The Landlord's Daughter (the second part to The Island trio):
As I was rambledThis song escalates to give the grandest feel, the most operatic and theatrical sound I have yet to hear in any other song. Never has a track about rape made me feel so invigorated, alive and inspired.
Down by the water
I spied in sable
The landlord's daughter
Produced my pistol, then my saber
Said "make no whistle or thou will be murdered"
She cursed, she shivered
She cried for mercy,
"My gold and silver if thou will release me!"
I'll take no gold miss, I'll take no silver
I'll take those sweet lips, and thou will deliver!
Their extraordinaire penchant for words calls for the most compelling and excellently phrased storytelling. One can find this throughout all their albums, not just Crane Wife. They are masters at implanting the mood of a song onto their audience. In fact, there's one song I always skip while listening late at night.. because it creeps the living daylights out of me the way no horror film can:
(The Shankill Butchers)Honestly speaking, I sometimes don't know what the hell they're on about. Colin's lyrics often make me feel like I should go pick up a dictionary and start reading. This is more constant in past albums.
The Shankill butchers ride tonight
You better shut your windows tight
They're sharpening their cleavers and their knives
And taking all their whisky by the pint
'Cuz everybody knows
If you don't mind your mother's words
A wicked wind will blow
Your ribbons from your curls
Everybody moan
Everybody shake
The skankill butchers wanna catch you
Awake
(The Island: Come and See)So much detailed imagery flows in and through my mind - I can see the man crying over his long gone crane wife, I picture the pregnant girl torn apart from her soldier and waiting for him to safely return in Yankee Bayonet, there goes the girl running towards her boyfriend as the shot was fired and hit her instead (O, Valencia!) and over there on the barstools are the Shankhill Butchers cleaning their fingernails with their knives.
In the lowlands, nestled in the heat
A briar cradle rocks it's babe to sleep
Its contents watched by Sycorax
And patagon in paralax
A foretold rumbling sounds below the deep
Whimsical tales, operatic, grandiose, infectious music and an articulate, poetic frontman. I could ask for no more. Five stars to the album, five stars for the band.
Last edited by: Tristessie 03/28/07 19:30:22.
Edited 5 times.
