Decemberists' "Picaresque"...leaked

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Oink. I've not got it yet, but it shan't be too long. For those who have...I'm anxious to know how it is.

― Simon H. (Simon H.), Thursday, 30 December 2004 02:22 (twenty-one years ago)

Picaresque.

It would be called that, wouldn't it.

― Hurting (Hurting), Thursday, 30 December 2004 04:51 (twenty-one years ago)

What a pompous title for a pompous band. Kinda works doesn't it?

― Jim Reckling (Jim Reckling), Thursday, 30 December 2004 05:04 (twenty-one years ago)

All pomp and no circumstance.

― Hurting (Hurting), Thursday, 30 December 2004 05:05 (twenty-one years ago)

"[...] a type of fiction dealing with the episodic adventures of a usually roguish protagonist"

Haha... seriously, perfect.

― sleep (sleep), Thursday, 30 December 2004 05:35 (twenty-one years ago)

Let's take a guess that the lyrics will also include the words "shanty" "catamaran" "pantaloon" "musketeer" "rampart" and "english breakfast"

― Hurting (Hurting), Thursday, 30 December 2004 05:38 (twenty-one years ago)

mmm.. english breakfast...

― Ian John50n (orion), Thursday, 30 December 2004 05:47 (twenty-one years ago)

isn't this the point of The Decemberists though? It's like expecting Autechre not to ave songtitles like "873t4"£ == carcarraccckkkk10" and stuff.

― dog latin (dog latin), Thursday, 30 December 2004 12:59 (twenty-one years ago)

hurting: i can only hope. also, "stevedores"

further, i agree with dog latin.

― sleep (sleep), Thursday, 30 December 2004 14:58 (twenty-one years ago)

I have the album, and it's very good. Not as good as Her Majesty, though, IMO. There aren't really any surprises or deviations from their past records.

Say what you like about The Decemberists being pompous, but the lyrics are still extremely well written. Plus, these guys put out three strong albums in 3+ years, which most bands can only hope to do.

― cdwill, Thursday, 30 December 2004 15:01 (twenty-one years ago)

is it at all like the Tain? I love the first album, found Her Majesty kind of dull, but I think the Tain is the best thing they've done.

― kyle (akmonday), Thursday, 30 December 2004 15:28 (twenty-one years ago)

No, it's more like Castaways and Cutouts or Her Majesty. There is one song on it, The Mariner, that has the long narrative thing going on.

Here's a link to a .zip file of the entire album I found:

http://s20.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0NPBYUHUMNJDG3EH62MT0IP9H9

― cdwill, Thursday, 30 December 2004 15:34 (twenty-one years ago)

fags! this shit is the real deal:

http://hjem.wanadoo.dk/~wan13237/darkmateria_the_picard_song.mp3

― Ganbare Goemon (ex machina), Thursday, 30 December 2004 16:33 (twenty-one years ago)

I wish this album were better.

― don weiner, Thursday, 30 December 2004 16:49 (twenty-one years ago)

stop liking crappy indie

― Ganbare Goemon (ex machina), Thursday, 30 December 2004 16:58 (twenty-one years ago)

― dog latin (dog latin), Thursday, 30 December 2004 17:03 (twenty-one years ago)

"The Sporting Life" is the best-arranged/produced song they've done, I think even their first real "perfect" song. It's got banjo and brass and a massive beat! Sounds amazing on headphones. With a lot of their previous stuff there's usually something I wish I could change about the production, but not with this one.

I've only been able to find two other from the album tho, "16 by 32" and "Eli, The Barrowboy", which aren't quite as great (mostly cuz of flawed production, 'course). With "Eli" I wish they would've used more reverb, made it more like a Cohen song. Also Colin does these really conspicuous and annoying guitar accents where I think he should've kept it all at a quiet, subdued level.

― bill neil (inabillity), Thursday, 30 December 2004 17:30 (twenty-one years ago)

The songs that I've heard from the new album ("The Engine Driver" in particular) sound like a less catchy, college rock/Americana version of Oasis.

― Matthew "Flux" Perpetua, Thursday, 30 December 2004 17:46 (twenty-one years ago)

has noel ever read a book?

― keith m (keithmcl), Thursday, 30 December 2004 17:54 (twenty-one years ago)

He's probably read all the Beatles books.

The Decemberist guy's voice is more Liam and less Noel.

― Matthew "Flux" Perpetua, Friday, 31 December 2004 01:35 (twenty-one years ago)

Colin Meloy's voice reminds me of an only slightly less nasal Ben Gibbard.

― Johnny Fever (johnny fever), Friday, 31 December 2004 01:51 (twenty-one years ago)

two months pass...

Does anyone have any new opinions on this? I haven't heard it, but the fact that the guy from Death Cab For Cutie (Chris Walla?) is producing makes me veeerryy suspect. I'm dreading any Garden-State-The-Decemberists-will-change-your-life crap.

― poortheatre (poortheatre), Sunday, 20 March 2005 21:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh, I like the song "16 Military Wives." It seems like this strange attempt too make something cool out of what is basically a commercial-folk approach. I've tried to like it more, but I just can't do it. When they try to do something poppier, like "The Sporting Life," it kinda works but not quite, it reminds me of Supertramp. Or something equally silly.

― edd s hurt (ddduncan), Monday, 21 March 2005 01:49 (twenty-one years ago)

i think he's produced at least one other by them, too. maybe their last...

but that's not the point. the point is, i dont think they see themselves as a "changing your life" kind of band (whether the shins do or not is another matter), so although people might rave about them like that, it's just a bunch of sort of funny, bawdy folky parlor songs with words like "stevadore" and "picaresque".

these
http://www.decemberists.com/bookish1.html
http://www.decemberists.com/bookish2.html
are about right.

― AaronK (AaronK), Monday, 21 March 2005 14:10 (twenty-one years ago)

eight years pass...

8 years on, i think this holds up pretty well and was as far as the decembies would go.....the sporting life, the engine driver, we both go down together are especially great......altho i can't listen to the mariner's revenge song anymore.

― yellow jacket (spazzmatazz), Wednesday, 17 April 2013 17:01 (twelve years ago)

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