Three albums I’ve been listening to all month: The Decemberists, Built to Spill, and Midlake

All are fantastic.

The Decemberists: The Crane Wife
Released: Oct 3, 2006

You know what the Decemberists have? Charm.

Their previous albums are ones I’ve rarely been able to sit through all at once. They have songs I love and will listen to on repeat. But for some reason, most likely Colin Meloy’s voice, I could never take an entire album in one sitting.

But this album is different.

It’s their first major label release, and it’s not quite the same as their previous stuff. While I miss the dark humor and clever storytelling of their earlier work, this is an album I can listen to all at once. And the clever storytelling is probably still there, I just haven’t read the lyrics yet. It’s loosely a concept album, based on a Japanese folk tale.

Every song is great, and the album varies enough that I never lose interest. There’s the wonderful, happy pop of “O Valencia.” A beautiful duet with Laura Veirs on “Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then).” In fact she steals the show a bit, and I miss her on the following tracks. Her voice complements Colin Meloy’s really nicely.

But what is up with his “accent”? The guy’s from Montana. I guess Montanans pronounce “papery skin” as “poppery skin”? When I first heard “The Perfect Crime,” which he pronounces “da perfeck, da perfeck, da perfeck, da perfeck chrime,” I honestly had to look at the song title to figure out what he was saying.

But the song is awesome. There’s actually enough funk in it to have it teetering on the edge of being a dance song. With the right remix it could be all over dance clubs.

There are moments when the album comes close to rocking, and they’re all in the epic, 12-minute second track. Titled “The Island, Come And See, The Landlord’s Daughter, You’ll Not Feel The Drowning,” it’s basically five songs rolled into one. Or one song with five movements, however you want to look at it. It’s definitely my favorite song on the album. It features some rad 70′s psychedelia-inspired organs. When my husband heard it, he said, “So, what, they think they’re Jethro Tull now?” My reply: “Isn’t it awesome?”

Built to Spill – You in Reverse
Released: Apr 11, 2006

I’m amazed that this band is still putting out such high-quality music. How does one consistently write such good material for so long?

Built to Spill is a grower for me. It never fails, when I first hear one of their songs, I think it’s boring and want to hear something else. But if I stick with it, listen to it several times, it’ll click for me, and then I’m hooked. And as we all know, it’s the growers that you love for the longest.

I think every album should start with an 8+ minute track with a relentless, driving rhythm. It’s perfect. And Doug Martcsh’s somewhat bitter humor is still there. My favorite verse on the album:

When I was a kid I saw a light
Floating high above the trees one night
Thought it was an alien
Turned out to be just God

And does the title, “You in Reverse,” actually just mean “me?”

“Liar” is the song that burrows into your head and stays there all day. “Convetional Wisdom” is probably my favorite track, very typical BTS action. In fact the whole album can be summed up as basically more of the same from the band, which means it’s up to their usual standards, and that’s quite a feat.

Midlake – The Trials of Van Occupanther
Released: Jul 25, 2006

I just posted a band spotlight on this band, but I can’t resist reviewing their album as well. This might be my record of the year.

I’ve been waiting to discover an album like this. One of those where you have to learn every lyric, every note to every song. Where after listening to it, the songs and the emotions they evoke drift in your head all day. And after listening to other bands/albums, when you lie down to go to sleep at night, it’s still what you hear playing in your head.

Honest truth, I have woken up at 3am to have one of their songs still drifting in my mind.

The music alone would be enough for me to call it seriously wonderful. But the lyrics are what takes it over the edge for me. The songs work as a loose concept album, if you want to interpret it that way—although the band didn’t intend it to be. But that’s how I like to see it: an album about a guy named Van Occupanther, who fought in a war a hundred years ago or more. Who survived harsh winters with mountaineers to help him patch his leaky roof. Who dreams of being overrun by bandits so he can start all over again.

So, what’s it sound like? 70′s soft folk-rock—America, CSNY, Fleetwood Mac. Lots of dynamics going on in the songs, which I love. The singer occasionally sounds a lot like Neil Young. Someone I know mentioned Radiohead, but not as whiny.

The lyrics on the album are all vague enough that you can interpret them in different ways, but the songwriter does use a lot of the same imagery in songs—the sea, snow/winter, the north. It’s really a joy to find an album this well-crafted.

I’ll post some songs from all three in the radio.blog.