How awesome are The Decemberists?

[ZapBulletRider]

I wrote this band off for a long time b/c for some reason I thought they'd be another one of those lame acoustic indie bands along the same lines as Iron & Wine or something, but a friend made me listen to them this week and I was really surprised. Mainly surprised at how much of a prog influence is in their music, wasn't expecting it. I downloaded all their albums and am currently about halfway through and have liked pretty much all of it a lot. They're playing around here next week and I'm thinking about going. Has anybody seen them live? Any good?

[CustomKO]

go, its a (EDIT good) show, seeing them play the hazards of love is a pretty cool experience

[shin-n]

i also have seen them and it was a great show. whats wrong with iron and wine?

[ZapBulletRider]

meh, too weak for me, at least what I've heard. A few years back i downloaded whatever album of theirs pitchfork rated the best. Didn't do it for me. I tend to put a lot of bands in that same bin until I give them a shot, and for the last couple of years most of them have gone right back in that bin.

[burkov]

Decemberists were good live, go, you'll enjoy it. Some of their old tunes they whip out are phenomenal, I still really like 5 songs ep. I havent really listened to them though much in the past year or so, but still. go.

[Ryan Vaughan]

Incredible band, average live show.

[sealice aka lone ranger]

whats a good song by them?

[LAXitives288]

o valencia

[sealice aka lone ranger]

worst. music video. ever.

[LuckyBuMmRa]

i love the decemberists

[Ryan Vaughan]

download and listen to The Crane Wife all the way through. you won't be disappointed

[ZapBulletRider]

Yeah, The Island was the second song I heard by them. I was like WTF, Genesis? Jethro Tull? Neutral Milk Hotel? This is awesome!

My favorite song right now is Leslie Anne Levine. Best new song I've heard in probably 2 years.

[megadeth]

word. I haven't really listened to any other stuff besides "the crane wife". Amazing album.

[Sandskimmernewbie]

We have extremely similar music tastes.

[LuckyBuMmRa]

neutral milk hotel is also good, yeah you like good shit, maybe i should try listening to phish

[megadeth]

"Billy Liar"

enough said.

[xsjado916]

they are a bunch of middle aged guys who play their instruments extremely well and colin meloy's wordmanship is supurb..... i'm a huge fan....nmh ftw
JEFF MAGNUM IS GOD

[samcollett]

16 military wives

[Rocco]

red right ankle

[LAXitives288]

neutral milk hotel is also good, yeah you like good shit, maybe i should try listening to phish

Jeff Mangum is fracking awesome.

[SkimNate]

these guys top the "bands I've been meaning to listen to" charts for me.

them and neutral milk hotel. i've heard their songs and have been like, i should really give them a good, hard listening to.

[narwhal]

Iron and Wine is far sicker and talented. But the Decemberists are very sick but I did not like the last album. And they're good live.

Hey Whit...have you heard LCD is recording again? http://www.nme.com/news/lcd-soundsystem/47089

Phoenix played Conan few days ago:

[ZapBulletRider]

these guys top the "bands I've been meaning to listen to" charts for me.

them and neutral milk hotel. i've heard their songs and have been like, i should really give them a good, hard listening to.

Definitely check out Neutral Milk Hotel. If you listen to In The Aeroplane Over the Sea, make sure you listen to it all at once and give it your undivided attention. It's one of those albums. The songs stand on their own but it was definitely meant to be listened to as a singular piece of work. Also kind of cool to read up on the band and the album a little bit too, I did before hearing it and kind of gave me some insight into the lyrics.

Robs, from what the pitchfork review suggests it sounds like Hazards is a little more prog-y than their previous albums, which to me sounds great, I'd like to hear more of that. But the reviewer doesn't seem too thrilled about the songs in general so we'll see. I just finished Her Majesty like a half hour ago so it's the last full-length album of theirs I have to listen to.

Thanks for the heads up on LCD!

Also, check this out: http://pitchfork.com/news/36505-holy...union-is-real/

[megadeth]

The Decemberists are stopping in orlando soon. Is it worth trying to make it up there??

[ZapBulletRider]

I will tell you next Thursday.

[LAXitives288]

1901 was in a Cadillac commercial i heard the other day, I was pleased and disgusted at the same time.

[ZapBulletRider]

At least it was Cadillac and not Kia.

[Doctor]

Decemberists rock

[narwhal]

Definitely check out Neutral Milk Hotel. If you listen to In The Aeroplane Over the Sea, make sure you listen to it all at once and give it your undivided attention. It's one of those albums. The songs stand on their own but it was definitely meant to be listened to as a singular piece of work. Also kind of cool to read up on the band and the album a little bit too, I did before hearing it and kind of gave me some insight into the lyrics.

Robs, from what the pitchfork review suggests it sounds like Hazards is a little more prog-y than their previous albums, which to me sounds great, I'd like to hear more of that. But the reviewer doesn't seem too thrilled about the songs in general so we'll see. I just finished Her Majesty like a half hour ago so it's the last full-length album of theirs I have to listen to.

Thanks for the heads up on LCD!

Also, check this out: http://pitchfork.com/news/36505-holy...union-is-real/

I second NMH.

I thought Hazards was honestly a step back for the Decemberists. And that is so sick with Pavement...I have never seen them live and it's a must.

[ZapBulletRider]

Read this in a pitchfork refiew today (worth noting this was pre-Crane Wife)

I think this sums it up perfectly. I have to say, as moving as Magnum's approach is, I also enjoy the detached storytelling feel of Meloy's vocals. And Meloy in an UNBELIEVABLE lyricist, one of the best I've ever heard. I've now listened to Crane wife at least 6 times all the way through, Castaways a few times, and Her Majesty and Picaresque each once. I started Hazards today, got about 3 songs in and was enjoying it but had too many distractions. I keep going back to the Crane wife though, there's not a single song on there I don't like a lot.

Much has been made of the similarities between Castaways & Cutouts and Neutral Milk Hotel's opus In the Aeroplane Over the Sea. The two albums do have a lot in common-- the similar vocal inflections of Meloy and Mangum and the intersecting themes of their material-- but Meloy's songs address mythical pasts with a certain degree of dream-like detachment, conjuring and retelling vivid images and tales while never participating directly. Mangum, on the other hand, is a man possessed: he lives his stories, and describes them with a wrenching directness.

[Applesauce]

Iron and Wine is far sicker and talented. But the Decemberists are very sick but I did not like the last album. And they're good live.

Hey Whit...have you heard LCD is recording again? http://www.nme.com/news/lcd-soundsystem/47089

Phoenix played Conan few days ago:

I was like hmm...that sounds so familiar, and then I remembered I heard that in the new 2009 FL UST video. Super catchy. Voice is kinda reminiscent of Chris Conley.

[ZapBulletRider]

ah, THAT'S where I've heard that

[LAXitives288]

I nearly shit a brick when I saw pavement was back.

[Kude]

Listen to the Sporting Life by them, I heard it like 4 years ago and it still hasn't gotten old. It's different compared to their normal stuff, I think.

[ZapBulletRider]

Robs, what didn't you like about Hazards? I'm halfway through now and I'm really liking it. It's definitely different so I can see how people that really like their other stuff might not like it; much more theatrical, but technically speaking the music has a little more edge and definitely lends itself more to their prog influences than a lot of their previous stuff.

EDIT: DAMN dude the deeper I get into this album the better it gets. You seriously thought this was a step back? It's like a totally different band at points, I guess if you don't like the heavier prog sound it might not appeal to you. In some points the guitar work even resembles King Crimson.