The Decemberists.

So, if you haven’t picked up the new album, The Crane Wife, as well as all of their other albums, you need to get on it now (http://www.decemberists.com). The new album is their first with a major label (Capital), and you can hear the difference. In some ways, it’s a parallel to Modest Mouse’s The Moon and Antarctica, which I believe was their first record with Epic. When Mouse made the move, they produced their first pseudo-concept album, abandoning the traditional idea of an album as a collection of songs. Still nowhere near the grandiosity and coherence of old progressive albums like Wish You Were Here or Dark Side, and less the continuous progression of relatively coherent ideas than Abbey Road, these two albums are instead interwoven but distinct threads of songs. The main cohering factor is the novelty of production and a new-ish sound. These albums admit many of the cliché (but effective) forms and effects that one finds on any major record label. As such, both albums have taken the bands’ loyal fans (including myself) some time to accept, though more so for Mouse. Both definitely require multiple (≥3) listenings, and I think both will find a place in your mind as one of the bands’ greatest achievements.

That said, either Moon & Antarctica’s success or pressure from the label seemed to have pushed Mouse to put out new music that feels more and more like an abandonment of their old style and persona (and an alienation of their long-time fans). That’s not to say Good News… is a sell-out. It’s a good album, but the raw intensity and chances taken by the old Mouse seem to be diminishing, and it’s very difficult for a band that’s found an extremely successful sound to try to hearken the grungy, un-polished and more importantly less profitable style of their ‘old days.’ We’ll have to wait for the next album to really know what’s going on with Mouse.

That said, The Decemberists’ newest album is well in accord with their previous work. The lyrics are still amazing and disturbing. “The Landlord’s Daughter” is a classic tale of 19^th century rape, and “Shankill Butchers” is a darkly humorous lullaby about whisky drinking, cleaver-wielding butchers that want to catch you awake. The album is intensely moving, and the added organ fills, vocal filters and effects, obscure Chinese traditional storyline and conglomerate songs make this quite an achievement by a band that had already claimed a permanent spot in my list. It’s hard to say what they’ll do next, but given that they’ve kept with the things that have made them so astounding from the beginning, I think we can only expect more surprises and continuous pleasure from this band.

And on another note, they fucking rock live. So much fun. Best show I’ve seen in a lonnng time. I would not have guessed that his voice (and the other singers’ voices) is as good, neigh better, live, and they do quite a show. Absolutely go see them if you get a chance.

Disclaimer: The Decemberists and Modest Mouse are not all that similar. I just mean album structure, style change, and band 'maturation,' as they say.