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Decemberists, The - Picaresque
With the American educational system steadily declining, Colin Meloy is trying his damndest to stop the dumbing down of his country. Thirty seconds into “The Infanta” (a daughter of the reigning monarch of Spain or Portugal), the opening track on Picaresque, he sings “Here she comes/ in her palanquin,” which is a closed litter carried on the shoulders of four bearers. Meloy, a history buff who holds a Creative Writing degree from the University of Montana at Missoula, doesn’t want to save the world, just its vocabulary. But that is to be expected from a band whose name is a reference to the 1825 Russian political party advocating a constitutional monarchy. See, one paragraph in and you are a whole lot smarter. Thanks Colin!
After releasing two full lengths on top of one another in a short span (with the occasional e.p thrown in), heavy touring, and a growing loyal fanbase, everything the Decemberists have done have led to this moment. The earlier allusions to Neutral Milk Hotel and their title of “the American Belle and Sebastian” are over. With Picaresque, Colin Meloy and company have created a world every bit as engaging and inviting as any of early material from Stuart Murdoch and his crew. .
Similarities between them and the Belles still exist, but such is the case when both are multi-instrumental bands that infuse their lyrics with clever lines, quirky characters, and sexual confusion/ambiguity. The only track that drips with “Tigermilk” is “Sixteen Military Wives,” which coincidentally or otherwise, is the lead off single. One could hear Stuart Murdoch singing “Cause America can/and America can’t say no/ and America does/if America says its so” over the cascading horns and keyboards stolen from the Boy with the Arab strap.
There has always been a strong nautical theme on previous albums (Castaways and Cutouts featured a ship on its cover), and Picaresque is no different. “The Mariners Revenge Song” is a sea chantey duet that incorporates accordion and Meloy’s time-warped vocals to great affect.
- Decemberists, The
- Picaresque (2005)
- Category: Album
- Label: Kill Rock Stars
- Reviewed by: Michael Chadwick
- Published on: 29 May 2005
- Comments: 0
- Beat Surrender Rating:
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There is no great leap or evolution between this and [B}Her Majesty. They are just a more focused band. When Meloy hits the chorus/bridge in “We Both Go Down Together,” a rich boy/poor girl Romeo and Juliet tale, there is no doubt that this is a special album. Those little moments were missing on previous efforts and made those albums hit or miss affairs. The Decemberists take every opportunity presented to them, and they don’t miss.
The confidence that only comes with every mile of one long tour after another is evident throughout. Four and half minutes into “Espionage,” about a gay government worker who trades secrets to a spy he loves, the song washes itself away into a sea of erratic strings and hollowed out cries. That the song begins as a gentle acoustic melody then opens to the full band only shows the mastery of their craft and their ability to take the song on its own natural trajectory.
Maybe a day will come when the youth of America will wear bombazine pants and speak in slang reminiscent of an 19th century word a day calendar. Or maybe that day will never come. But it will be of no fault of the Decemberists, whose new album will (rightfully) increase their visibility, especially at the end of the year.
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