Decemberists - The Crane Wife (CD 2007)

As a huge fan of the Decemberists, I couldn't have been more excited about their move to a major label in the US and when the first few tracks dropped on music blogs I was absolutely blown away. Getting my hands on the album wasn't easy here in the UK, as the release date was 4 months after the US release. But I was lucky enough to score an import copy, and already on first listen it was an album that felt special. While Colin Meloy (lead singer) has always been a fine lyricist with that great clear diction, the worry was that The Decemberists would tone down some of their more experimental aspects. One listen to the second track, the twelve-minute multi-part epic 'The Island', was enough to put paid to that.

The beauty of the album lies in it's combining of these experimental tendencies with the sweet pop hooks that define a major talent like Meloy's. His tales focus mainly on love and war, classic subjects but with enough twist and bite to appeal to a young audience as well as literate music-lovers. Tracks like 'O Valencia' and 'Summersong' would only sound out of place on the radio because you invest more emotion into these characters than your average pop song. An air of melancholic beauty hangs over the album, so that although the stories may be sad, you feel happier for having listened to them. Essential purchase for fans of literate pop, The Shins, Neutral Milk Hotel, Rogue Wave, Iron & Wine, The Mountain Goats, Death Cab For Cutie.