klootfan Advanced Member Posts:851  
| 2/19/2007 4:26 AM |
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Downloaded the Decemberists - The Crane Wife, a couple of weeks back but only got around to putting it on my player and listening to it the first time this morning... what a fantastic album. Great vocals and great tunes
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| 2/19/2007 5:01 AM |
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Im not mad on it . I like the crane wife 3 or whatever the acoustic type song is good vocals again .
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The_Pen15 Basic Member Posts:106
| 2/19/2007 6:11 AM |
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Yeah its fantastic alright. I fell in love with it on the first listen...the closing two songs are pretty f**king amazing
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klootfanAdvanced Member Posts:851
| 2/19/2007 6:17 AM |
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.the closing two songs are pretty f**king amazing
Yeah, I agree completely. In a lot of albums the quality peaks in the middle, but for me the quality of the songs was maintained right through the album
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AllyBasic Member Posts:347
| 2/19/2007 6:18 AM |
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the decemberists are the absolute genuine article... in a world of over hype on the back of one album and by the time the second album arrives you don't care anymore, they stand tall and proud... intelligent indie royalty...
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| 2/19/2007 9:45 AM |
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"the decemberists are the absolute genuine article... in a world of over hype on the back of one album and by the time the second album arrives you don't care anymore, they stand tall and proud... intelligent indie royalty..."
that pretty much sums them up!! i've been singing along to them all day at work, they have such singable melodies!
now you have to go and buy picaresque and then castaways & cutouts.
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dudleyBasic Member Posts:124
| 2/19/2007 3:29 PM |
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that perfect crime song is one of the worst f'ing songs i've ever had the misfortune to hear. just dreadful.
and i can usually handle the most atonal musicians and singers on the planet, both the shaggs and the fall get regular plays around here, but your man's voice is one of the most appallingly grating things on the planet.
do not understand what people find attractive about this group
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El DuderinoBasic Member Posts:179
| 2/19/2007 11:47 PM |
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I sorta come down in the middle here. I reckon the album is very good but there are 3 songs which I'm not keen on, particularly the perfect crime (other 2 being yankee bayonet and when the war came). I don't think Colin Meloy has a great voice but I reckon it suits the songs and the overall aesthetic of the album, which is really all you can ask for from a singer, or any other band member for that matter. I think the crane wife 1 and shankill butchers are probably the best songs on the album. I don't know if I would be bothered searching out the decemberists back catalogue on the strength of this album but when they're good, they're very, very good, when they're bad....
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AllyBasic Member Posts:347
| 2/20/2007 2:15 AM |
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Posted By dudley on 19 Feb 2007 3:29 PM
that perfect crime song is one of the worst f'ing songs i've ever had the misfortune to hear. just dreadful.
and i can usually handle the most atonal musicians and singers on the planet, both the shaggs and the fall get regular plays around here, but your man's voice is one of the most appallingly grating things on the planet.
do not understand what people find attractive about this group that's unusually narrow minded of you, dudley... the perfect crime is very simple, isn't it?... just a bouncy pop song... have you heard anything else though?... the sea shanties, the song cycles, the storytelling? i would advocate giving picaresque a listen if you can bear it... or the tain ep... |
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benniAdvanced Member Posts:947
| 2/20/2007 4:14 AM |
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Posted By dudley on 19 Feb 2007 3:29 PM
that perfect crime song is one of the worst f'ing songs i've ever had the misfortune to hear. just dreadful.
Ha I love that song! Just started listening to The Decemberists recently..... on the back of hearing that song! Personal taste.... its great wha?! :-) |
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dudleyBasic Member Posts:124
| 2/20/2007 6:57 AM |
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not narrowminded at all. i've had a decent go of a couple of their albums, and to my ears, it's just got nothing going for it.
to be fair, i'm probably clouded by my distaste for the vocals, maybe if i heard the songs in a different context i wouldn't mind so much. how and ever, i can handle ted leo, neutral milk hotel etc, just fine
as for the single, it just seems inane and cliched, again to my ears.
maybe i'm getting older than i thought i was
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AllyBasic Member Posts:347
| 2/20/2007 7:52 AM |
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Posted By dudley on 20 Feb 2007 6:57 AM
not narrowminded at all. i've had a decent go of a couple of their albums, and to my ears, it's just got nothing going for it.
to be fair, i'm probably clouded by my distaste for the vocals, maybe if i heard the songs in a different context i wouldn't mind so much. how and ever, i can handle ted leo, neutral milk hotel etc, just fine
as for the single, it just seems inane and cliched, again to my ears.
maybe i'm getting older than i thought i was fair enough if you've given them a decent listen... i think as an example of indie-pop rock stuff, it's got a lot more going on than the majority of fly-by-night contenders out there... i think he has a way with words... and some good arrangements also... ...it's not hugely alternative i suppose but we can't always be listening to the latest 25 minute minimalist drone... ...also, it's danceable |
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dudleyBasic Member Posts:124
| 2/20/2007 8:49 AM |
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danceable you say
you see, it's broken one of the cardinal rules of indie right there, you shouldn't be able to dance to it, just shuffle in an embarrassed fashion in the corner of the room
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AllyBasic Member Posts:347
| 2/20/2007 8:56 AM |
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Posted By dudley on 20 Feb 2007 8:49 AM
danceable you say
you see, it's broken one of the cardinal rules of indie right there, you shouldn't be able to dance to it, just shuffle in an embarrassed fashion in the corner of the room true, true... i forget myself sometimes... luckily there was hardly anyone giving it more than the head nod at the recent vicar street gig... |
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The_Pen15Basic Member Posts:106
| 2/20/2007 10:11 AM |
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dudley, out of sheer curiosity am i right in saying that you checked out some of their stuff pre-Crane Wife era?
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dudleyBasic Member Posts:124
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dermot_trellis New Member Posts:69
| 2/20/2007 5:42 PM |
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I think the first two albums and Tain EP are great.. The latest two records are both patchy but have their moments. I think they've fallen a bit into the trap of having a 'gimmick' (i.e. the historical narratives) which has become somewhat forced and predictable lately, whereas before it just felt like a quaint backdrop for the songs.. I can see why people would find the vocals grating but the nasal nerdy thing doesn't especially bother me. They're probably not going to change anybody's life but for folk-pop with some interesting twists I think they're a very decent group..
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aidanAdvanced Member Posts:638
| 2/23/2007 3:45 AM |
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I saw The Decemberists live last night here in Paris. It was a friend of mine who invited me - I had only known a couple of songs off 'Picaresque'.
I really really liked them.
I could see how some songs (earlier material) was catchy and poppy whereas later songs (I recognised "The Crane Wife" from its chorus) seem a little - dare I say it? - prog-rock. The strangulated fake-English singing voice takes getting used to but by the end of the night (a groovin' hard-rockin' cover of 'Feel Like Making Love' - how classic rock is that?) he seemed to forget his 'accent' and sing more naturally...
(The support band were called Lavender Diamond, a shower of smiley hippies. They scared me with their smileyness.)
So, Decemberists fans, if I like the catchier earlier stuff, what would be the best albums for me to check out?
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The_Pen15Basic Member Posts:106
| 2/23/2007 3:53 AM |
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Posted By aidan on 23 Feb 2007 3:45 AM
I saw The Decemberists live last night here in Paris. It was a friend of mine who invited me - I had only known a couple of songs off 'Picaresque'.
I really really liked them.
I could see how some songs (earlier material) was catchy and poppy whereas later songs (I recognised "The Crane Wife" from its chorus) seem a little - dare I say it? - prog-rock. The strangulated fake-English singing voice takes getting used to but by the end of the night (a groovin' hard-rockin' cover of 'Feel Like Making Love' - how classic rock is that?) he seemed to forget his 'accent' and sing more naturally...
(The support band were called Lavender Diamond, a shower of smiley hippies. They scared me with their smileyness.)
So, Decemberists fans, if I like the catchier earlier stuff, what would be the best albums for me to check out? I would say you check out the Crane Wife first...thats just me though |
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AllyBasic Member Posts:347
| 2/23/2007 4:52 AM |
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Posted By aidan on 23 Feb 2007 3:45 AM
So, Decemberists fans, if I like the catchier earlier stuff, what would be the best albums for me to check out? my overall favourite is picaresque - it has the best songwriting in the most varied styles i feel (although i love the two song cycles on the crane wife)... however, for what you're looking for, i'd definitely go with castaways and cutouts - not one dud song... it narrowly beats her majesty the decemberists i reckon... |
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