Audio CD review:
Decemberists - Crane Wife

Decemberists - Crane Wife

Band: Decemberists Title: Crane Wife Rating: Release Date: 2007-01-30 Media: Audio CD Tracks:

Loving "Wife" Hopefully that will get this beloved indie band the attention they deserve. The Decemberists make that riskiest of leaps in "The Crane Wife" -- to a major label, away from Kill Rock Stars. But a major label jump doesn't matter if the end product isn't good. And the Decemberists' fourth full-length album not only preserves their melodious sea-chanty sound, but it is also probably the best work this band has ever done, topping their previous album "Picaresque. " From start to finish, this music is warm and enchantingly imaginative. "And under the boughs unbound/All clothed in a snowy shroud/She had no heart so hardened/All under the boughs unbound," Colin Meloy murmurs in the opening song. The wintry lyrics make a stark contrast to the strummy little tune, fleshed out with intermittent piano. It's catchy and melodious, but much in the way that their previous songs were. It's a good song, and a solid introduction to a string of similarly good songs, like the folky "Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then)," rollicking acoustic marches, and dreamy nautical-summer ballads. The Decemberists also dabble a bit in rock in the middle of the album, like the fast-moving riffs of "Perfect Crime #2," before switching back to familiar territory. The Decemberists started off being good, but rapidly ascended to indie-rock greatness as they grew into their sound and made it more robust. "The Crane Wife" is just the natural progression of that, and it's hard to see how anyone could not like these jolly, catchy songs, with the charming lyrics and poignant imagery. Well, maybe if you don't like the sea. They take some musical risks as well, with two songs clocking in at over ten minutes apiece. One is a meditative ballad, and the other is a sprawling, solid experimental-folk song with lots of ringing strings and epic piano. But at its heart, "Crane Wife" is all about the solid, catchy folk melodies, made of acoustic guitar and bits of keyboard and piano as well. And, of course, the ol' reliable accordion, which gives it the feeling of sailors standing on a harbor, making music to pass the time. Colin Meloy has the same odd, a-melodious voice, which becomes more endearing as the album goes on. His lyrics are probably the best aspect of the entire album -- Meloy has a knack for strange, fitting turns of phrase. "Folks bobbing in the blue of the bay/in deep, far beneath/all the dead sailors slowly slipping to sleep. . . and summer blows away/and quietly gets swallowed by a wave. . . " "The Crane Wife" is the best album the Decemberists have done to date, with a mix of polish and rough talent, and certainly promises that they will only be getting better. . You can see a complete list of all Decemberists discography, or go back to the Decemberists tabs