Clackamas Print______________ u. 2006_____________________________________ Arts Entertainment
7
lecemberists release new CD
yo Stalnaker
Clackamas Print
,e Decemberists’ major
debut, The Crane Wife,
ossibly one of the best
ds to ever be produced
Portland band.
t Crane Wife is a concept
1 of sorts, based loose-
jf a Japanese folk tale
1 a poor man who finds
landed'' crane, nurses it
to health, then the crane
away. The next day, a
■ous woman appears on
oorstep, and they imme-
|y fall in love and get
¡ed. The woman decides
ir clothes for the man so
ie can sell them in town,
catch is, the man can’t
|i her make the clothes,
man decides to peek in
is wife anyway, and he
vers that she’s actually
me that is plucking her
feathers and using them
ike the clothes. She then
away and never returns.
Long-time fans of the
Decemberists will be glad to
know that they have nqft sold
out. The Crane Wife is in
many ways similar to their
previous efforts, however it
does contain more prog-rock
elements (two of the tracks
are around 12 minutes long),
along with the sea-faring,
Irish folk, pseudo-Brit pop
music that the Decemberists
are known for.
Frontman Colin Meloy’s
vocals are in rare form on
songs like the chilling
“Shankill Butchers,” the
upbeat “Sons and Daughters”
and the title track, which is
in three parts and contains
very intricate and passionate
storytelling, not to mention
infectious melodies. And of
course, the lyrics are very
well written. Colin Meloy is
definitely one of the better
songwriters in the indie-rock
world.
One of the real treats on
this album is the song “The
Perfect Crime #2.” It is one
of the more promi
nent rockers on the
record and features a
groovin’ bass line and
energetic guitar riffs.
All in all, this
album is stunning. I
find it to be better than
The Decemberists’
previous
works,
and I believe that
The Crane Wife will
shoot this band into
stardom. Sure, The
Decemberists might
be a little “artsy,”
but what do you
expect from a band
that put out an EP of
Morrissey covers? To
all the nay-sayers, I
think Colin Meloy
said it best in the fol
lowing Quote:
“I would certainly
rather be [a heart-
throb] to a bunch
of English majors
and drama fags than
a bunch of sorority
girls.”
http: / /www. amazon .com
The cover of the newest Decemberists album which came out Oct. 3,
The Crane Wife, displays the band’s eccentric sensibilities.
le ‘December Brides9 show proves to be a nice surprise
II Sorensen
Mamas Print
a fan of the Decemberists’
I feel like I’ve learned a
as from their eloquent lyr-
; deliberate progressions.
, ng 1 learned at their secret
•1 month ago, however, is
enext time I buy a round of
for the band, I’ll make sure
t to the stage.
Sept. 20, roughly 150 peo-
ncluding my two friends and
d along a Portland sidewalk
rapped around The Acme
si 8th and Main. Shivering
esiless. we waited for over
nr to see if other patrons of
?ac;t\ -filled bar would make
lor the rest of us.
: bar had billed the eve-
1 entertainment as a fund
featuring Alela Diane and
December Brides,” a pseud-
tecognized only by fans of
ad's own Decemberists. The
I the door allowed 11 more
to pass before turning his
m the crowd outside, and I
was relieved to be tenth in line. round for the band. After two more
Seeing the Decemberists with two songs, an order of Whiskey from
buddies for a $5 cover? It was Baumgarten himself was delivered
going to be a good night.
on behalf of his paper. ThePortland
The Acme show, according to Mercury covered the next round,
Willamette Week's
and The Oregonian
Mark Baumgarten,
followed suit shortly
after. One by one, it
was a warm-up for
“Seeing
seemed like every
their tour which
journalist in the room
kicked off last
the
was pushing their way
night at the Crystal
December
back to the bar to arm
Ballroom to pro
themselves for a truly
mote the band’s
ists with
media-driven booze
newest album, The
two
bud
battle that turned, as
Crane Wife. The
dies for a
Baumgarten put it, “a
tour will end in
pleasant celebration
New York, where
$5 cover?
into a rowdy free-for-
the Decemberists
It was
all.” Nobody seemed
will play to a crowd
to complain, either.
going to
of 37,000, but that
The second half
night at the Acme,
be a good
of the Decemberists’
the Decemberists
night.”
set was littered with
played to a hand
covers,
including
ful of people in the
The Outfield’s “Your
bar plus a few more
Love” and the Sex
fans with their
noses - and cameras - pressed Pistols’ “E.M.I.,” and ended with a
very drunk - and, frankly, obnox
against the windows outside.
After only the first couple ious - fan shouting directly into my
songs of the set, lead singer Colin left ear until Meloy, swaying and
Meloy asked the crowd to buy a exhausted from the combination
H: Lead singer of the Decemberists, Colin Meloy, ends the night’s energized set by setting
his guitar and falling into drummer John Moen’s lap.
:Meloy sings to the crowd of roughly 100 Decemberists fans at The Acme on Sept. 20.
of his performance and his drinks,
conceded to his wishes and closed
the show with an electric version
of “Of Angels and Angles” from
their last album, Picaresque. The
song, which Baumgarten described
as “one of the gentlest composi
tions [Meloy] has ever penned,”
was instead presented as a gritty,
tormented ballad that, when com
bined with Meloy’s “three inch
stare,” was transformed into a sur
real and truly unique experience.
Between prodding for drinks,
rallying the crowd to chant “let
them in” (which allowed entrance
for those who were devoted
enough to stay pressed to the win
dows through tiie first half), and
alternating between old tracks
and new, the Decemberists also
introduced their newest member,
Lisa Molinaro, who will be cover
ing glockenspiel and string parts
- among others - for the tour.
Provided the tickets are still
available by the time this goes to
print, the Decemberists will be
playing a second Crystal Ballroom
show tonight with doors opening
at 8 p.m., and I suggest to anyone
who can attend that they should.
As far as the press war at the
Acme, I spent my last $25 on a
round of six pints for the band
— on behalf of 77ie Print — and
tried to push them to the stage.
The sound engineer, who was
immediately stage left, told me to
leave them with him and that he’d
pass them to the band. I guess I
still have something to learn about
“big time” journalism, because I
never found out what happened
to the beers, and the band never
got them.
My friends told me I should
say or do something about it,
maybe ask for a refund. I, in turn,
explained to them that $30 was
a small price to pay for the story
I would be able to tell from that
night, which turned out to be one
of the best nights of my life.