| Music Review | Josh Hinkle |
The Decemberists Present "Picaresque"
here they come in their palanquin
on the back of an elephant
Ok, so this CD isn't new, in the sense that it came out last
Tuesday, or even the Tuesday before that, but it's only a
couple months old, so it still qualifies for new release
status. Well, to me it does and I'm doing the review, so...
The
Decemberists are a group of 5-20 people (depending on
whether it's studio recording, live shows, what have you)
who produce literate, wry chamber pop. Their music consists
mainly of songs that tell stories about one or more of the
following: love, suicide pacts, lifelong revenge plots that
culminate in the belly of a live whale, being on the lam
from Johnny Law, sucking at sports and watching your best
girl run off with the opposing teams captain, and death. If
Nick Cave could write a song with a sunnier tune, he'd be in
this band.
Their sound comes from the chamber pop style of record
making, meaning that they disregard or aren't aware of the
movement in the early nineties (which has enjoyed a recent
resurgence) of lo-fi recording techniques (grunge, garage,
etc.). The instrumentation is very full and lush, using a
wide variety of instruments and production work. It almost
brings to mind the wall of sound technique, although it uses
music in place of voices for the most part. Hi-fi folk music
with a toe tapping tune and dark lyrics? It works better
than it looks on paper. Also, an appreciation for literate
songwriting and audience participation via theatre of the
mind might be a prerequisite for enjoyment of the music.
It's not really the type of thing you'd hear on the radio,
it's probably too challenging, but I do have the benefit of
working in a record store and it never fails to pique
people's interest- and usually has them slapping their legs
in time with the music, too, so it can't be that far from a
breakthrough. I just have a hard time imagining a world
where they would get airplay is all. But I can dream about
it.
That said, I would recommend this album to fans of Belle and
Sebastian, Neutral Milk Hotel, Sufjan Stevens, Iron and
Wine, Arcade Fire, Beck, pretentious college indy rock, the
dictionary, Herman Melville, the Bronte Sisters or Jane
Austen.
5 out of 5 stars.
Fun Fact: This CD was produced by Death Cab For Cutie's
Chris Walla, who also plays guitar on the album.