The Decembrists write about some pretty dark things, but damn if they don’t make getting swallowed by a whale sound joyful. Even a lighthearted song can’t come without literary and biblical allusions, because when you’re the egghead type, that’s just how you think. Being a … Continue reading Summersong
The Decemberists have written a great many songs about drowning. It seems clear what their preferred method of killing and/or suicide would be, if it came to it. It is, I think, apropos to begin a new year with thoughts of jumping into the river … Continue reading Sucker’s Prayer
I’ll Be Your Girl came along without much fanfare in 2018. I didn’t find out about it until several months after it was released. I suppose that means that The Decemberists’ years of being a band that mainstream entertainment media cares about are over. It … Continue reading Starwatcher
One of the most endearing things about the Decemberists is the community theatre vibe of their shows. They’re not the only band whose fans are wont to show up in costume, but they’re probably the only ones where the characters are an ancient mariner or … Continue reading The Sporting Life
No other contemporary band has been as intellectually satisfying as the Decemberists, and so consistently over so many years. The satisfaction, of course, stems from the feeling so rare of being exactly the target audience. Nothing wrong with being a lowest-common-denominator pop fan, but have … Continue reading Sons & Daughters
If you’ve read Myla Goldberg’s acclaimed novel Bee Season, you’ll be able to grasp the allusions here. I have not, myself, nor have I seen the movie. So the allusions, for now, escape me. It makes great sense, though, that Colin Meloy, a musician who … Continue reading Song for Myla Goldberg
The sea shanty is about due for a revival. Since sailing has ceased being a major industry and seamanship a major career option, so the shanties have died out. But with all things old-timey and artisanal being currently on-trend, I think we can expect to … Continue reading Shanty for the Arethusa
The single most blood-curdling lullaby you’ll ever hear. And it becomes even more chilling when you learn that it’s very much based on real history. The real-life Shankill Butchers were a kill-squad within the Protestant Ulster Volunteer Force who went about kidnapping and murdering Catholics … Continue reading Shankill Butchers
The Decemberists have not only mastered the trick of writing songs that sound like they might belong in a different decade; they write songs that sound like they could be hundreds of years old. On a superficial level, we think we know what the trick … Continue reading Rox in the Box
This Decemberists songs isn’t referencing Greek mythology or English literature or 1970’s folk music. It isn’t referencing any cultural artifacts at all. Its inspiration is much closer to home than all that. Colin Meloy wrote the song for his son Henry, who was about … Continue reading Rise to Me
Lady Garfunkel's Song of the Day 