The Decemberists Appreciation Thread
Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Prog Bands, Artists and Genres Appreciation
Forum Description: Discuss specific prog bands and their members or a specific sub-genre
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=100967
Printed Date: November 29 2024 at 15:44
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Topic: The Decemberists Appreciation Thread
Posted By: Andy Webb
Subject: The Decemberists Appreciation Thread
Date Posted: January 13 2015 at 12:44
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It looks like one my favorite prog folk bands doesn't have their own thread, so I thought I'd make one for them. A stream of their new album, What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World, dropped on The Guardian today, check it out http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/jan/13/the-decemberists-what-a-terrible-world-what-a-beautiful-world-album-stream?CMP=share_btn_tw" rel="nofollow - here.
From the sounds of it they're still in their Americana phase, but it does sound like there are some motes of their awesome sound that made me love them on Hazards of Love and The Crane Wife. What are you guys' thoughts on the new album or this fully American prog folk band? ------------- http://ow.ly/8ymqg" rel="nofollow">  
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Replies:
Posted By: The Dark Elf
Date Posted: January 13 2015 at 13:53
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Absolutely love The Crane Wife and Hazards of Love. Great story telling and musically adventurous. ------------- ...a vigorous circular motion hitherto unknown to the people of this area, but destined to take the place of the mud shark in your mythology... |
Posted By: Andy Webb
Date Posted: January 13 2015 at 13:56
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^My thoughts exactly. I felt like they departed from that with The King is Dead to focus on more songwriting, but I still loved the Americana style they implemented with that album. It sounds like they're continuing with that this album. ------------- http://ow.ly/8ymqg" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: The Dark Elf
Date Posted: January 13 2015 at 14:28
Yes, The King is Dead is very much an homage to Americana and particularly REM (Peter Buck actually played on a few songs, if I recall). The Decemberists are a band you can't categorize conveniently, which suits me fine. They were quite different for Picaresque and Her Majesty than they were for Crane Wife and Hazards. Evolving, phases, whatever you call it, it's an interesting ride. And no one in contemporary music can turn a phrase quite like Colin Meloy. Love the use of the word "prevaricate" on the new song. Who does that?  ------------- ...a vigorous circular motion hitherto unknown to the people of this area, but destined to take the place of the mud shark in your mythology... |
Andy Webb wrote:Posted By: lazland
Date Posted: January 13 2015 at 14:38
Thanks for sharing the stream, Andy. Sounds good  The Decemberists are one of the finest modern bands in the world. Intelligent folk rock, a joy to listen to. The new album is an absolutely auto buy in Lazland. ------------- Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org Now also broadcasting on www.progzilla.com Every Saturday, 4.00 p.m. UK time! |
Posted By: Raff
Date Posted: January 13 2015 at 16:02
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I was disappointed by The King Is Dead because I thought the songwriting was not as good as on the previous albums, therefore all the songs tended to sound a bit too similar for comfort. However, those same songs truly came alive when performed on stage, as The Decemberists are one of the best live bands in the business. I hope they will add a DC or Baltimore date to their tour, because I'd really love to see them again (it would be the third time for us). In the meantime, if you are interested, this is what I wrote about their show at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in 2011: http://progmistress.com/2011/06/21/live-review-the-decemberists-at-merriweather-post-pavilion-columbia-md-june-13-2011/" rel="nofollow - http://progmistress.com/2011/06/21/live-review-the-decemberists-at-merriweather-post-pavilion-columbia-md-june-13-2011/ |
Posted By: The Dark Elf
Date Posted: January 13 2015 at 16:42
They'll be appearing at the Royal Oak Music Theatre (in my city), and the nice thing is I can walk there (but not before passing a few pubs). Great, very small venue. Looking forward to it, as it sold out as soon as tickets were released. ------------- ...a vigorous circular motion hitherto unknown to the people of this area, but destined to take the place of the mud shark in your mythology... |
Posted By: Horizons
Date Posted: January 13 2015 at 18:51
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Thoughts on Picaresque? I honestly never see it mentioned and yet i find it to be the perfect agglomerate of their styles. They still had their more interesting songwriting in them with the longer songs on the album (Bagman's Gambit, Mariner's Revenge) and their more straight-forward songs still had some musical depth and the edge that i found on HoL. ------------- Crushed like a rose in the riverflow. |
Posted By: Drew
Date Posted: January 13 2015 at 18:57
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Great album I say- My favorite is "The Lake Song" ------------- |
Posted By: Kazza3
Date Posted: January 14 2015 at 03:58
| Haven't heard them before, but I'm liking this new album a lot. Well arranged. I like the singer, strange (fake?) accent for an American, sounds almost like the singer of REM if he'd spent primary school in Australia or England, or something. |
Posted By: Prog Sothoth
Date Posted: January 14 2015 at 07:29
I haven't seen The Decemberists yet, but I did see Colin Meloy in a solo performance in 2008. The man has great banter between songs (pretty funny guy) and with noone else on stage for the gig's duration I learned that he's quite the exceptional acoustic guitar player as well.
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Posted By: Andy Webb
Date Posted: January 14 2015 at 08:28
Definitely check out Hazards of Love and Crane Wife. They're perhaps two of the best prog folk concept albums out there. And Colin's accent is pretty typical for Portland, Oregon, I would say. ------------- http://ow.ly/8ymqg" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: HolyMoly
Date Posted: January 14 2015 at 08:50
------------- My other avatar is a Porsche It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle if it is lightly greased. -Kehlog Albran |
Posted By: Nogbad_The_Bad
Date Posted: January 14 2015 at 11:52
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Hazards & Crane Wife are excellent, the rest of their stuff doesn't do all that much for me. I should probably sample the new one and see how I feel. Funny story - My 20 something daughter was talking to a bunch of similarly aged people at her work the other day and they were raving about this new band they'd discovered called The Decemberists. She told them that her Dad had taken her to see them 4 years ago in Columbus on the Hazards Of Love tour. ------------- Ian Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on Progrock.com https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-avant-jazzcore-happy-hour/ |
Posted By: Padraic
Date Posted: January 14 2015 at 11:54
This is interesting Steve. I had tried the Crane Wife several years ago and it just didn't click with me. I'll have to give Hazards a go. Thanks. |
Posted By: SteveG
Date Posted: January 14 2015 at 14:11
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As an old Fairport and Pentangle fanatic, I never warmed up to this band. But I'll definitely give them a second chance. ------------- This message was brought to you by a proud supporter of the Deep State. |
Posted By: micky
Date Posted: January 14 2015 at 14:28
an amazing album Pat.. and right at the top of most moving concert experiences I've ever had. I was in tears and singing along with a couple of teenage girls sitting right next to Raff and I. If you let it.. it can grab you hard.. very hard. Steve is dead-on... it compares very favorably with the stone-cold classic concept albums. Better than those fwiw IMO.. but I love the group so take that for what is worth. ------------- The Pedro and Micky Experience - When one no longer requires psychotropics to trip |
Posted By: chopper
Date Posted: January 16 2015 at 07:34
| There's a double page spread about them in The Sun today if anyone's interested. |
Posted By: Finnforest
Date Posted: January 16 2015 at 09:33
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If you count yourself as a Decemberists fan, this is one album you really need to hear. http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=36037" rel="nofollow - http://www.progarchives.com/album.asp?id=36037 |
Posted By: lazland
Date Posted: January 16 2015 at 10:29
Interesting. They are not the type of band you normally associate with The Current Bun..... ------------- Enhance your life. Get down to www.lazland.org Now also broadcasting on www.progzilla.com Every Saturday, 4.00 p.m. UK time! |
Posted By: ClemofNazareth
Date Posted: January 16 2015 at 11:24
Haha! Four years ago I took two of my sons on the road to see 'Hazards of Love' in Kansas City followed by a cross-country trek to the Atlantic Ocean and back to the Midwest (we lived in South Dakota at the time). Was one of the best times I've ever had and will always remember. There was some pushback when I added them to the Archives several years ago but they're somewhat vindicated by the 600+ reviews and the generally high regard here for 'Hazards' and 'The Crane Wife'. Those who pan the "country" shift on 'The King is Dead' and 'Long Live the King' miss the whole connection to the rock/country wave of the early 70s that the Byrds, Gram Parsons, Flying Burrito Brothers, Family, Elvis, Beach Boys, the Dead, Dylan, even the Rolling Stones dabbled in. This is the roots revival phase of the band's progression; wouldn't surprise me a bit to have them crank out a disco album in a couple years followed by something grunge-flavored... ------------- "Peace is the only battle worth waging." Albert Camus |