The Decemberists

I've never written much about music, but I thought I'd give it a try with this blog. I normally have a penchant for something with intriguing lyrics and something a little unexpected. Whether it's the poignant lyrics, the pleasant melody, or the fusing of the two, songs with a few twists will grab me right away.

Lately, I've encountered The Decemberists, who have a pleasant blend of interesting lyrics and unexpected subjects. Leave it to me to be completely behind the times; they've apparently been popular for some time. In my defense, I heard about The Decemberists a few years ago, but dismissed them as a run of the mill emo-hipster band without even lending them an ear. Ghastly prejudice!

Anyways, the first song that caught my attention was The Mariner's Revenge. It was a modern epic with an unreliable narrator to boot! Oh, my potential graduate studies must find a way to incorporate this! I loved the sound, rhymes, and everything about it! Check out a ridiculous lego stop-motion video here.




Later, I was intrigued, but slightly horrified by The Rake's Song.



And finally, my deep love for them was cemented with the civil war love song, Yankee Bayonet. I love the tongue twisting lines, unexpected word order, peppy guitar melody, and bitter subject matter. The first few times I had the song on, I didn't pay attention to the lyrics at all; it just sounded like a regular indie guitar ballad. The lyrics are more tragic than the background music led me to initially believe.



Oh Valencia was one of their more popular songs. I love how he says he will burn the whole city down. Judging from the rest of the songs, I really think he means it!



Thank goodness for The Decemberists! They don't wimp out and give us the same half digested love ballads and winy songs about being winy. They explore unusual subject matters, blend the stories with un-ubiquitous melodies, and spin the stories in their songs with interesting twists of diction. I just downloaded a bunch of songs thanks to my trusty Zune pass and I'm on to Decemberist bliss!