Omnibus

In a nutshell: this is to the Decemberists what Pablo Honey is to Radiohead - probably notable (perhaps not standout) when it was released, but has not aged particularly well, especially in light of the band's latter-day accomplishments. Likewise, it's probably no surprise to state that this album will be enjoyed most of all by the hardcore Decemberists fan - that is, anyone who enjoys Colin Meloy's distinctive voice and particular brand of songwriting will enjoy this while he or she rides the train and studies (and waits for the next Decemberists record). Also predictably, you will hear here Colin Meloy wearing his influences (most interesting for this listener, Out Of Time/Automatic For The People-era R.E.M.) a bit more prominently on his sleeve than he would be later. Finally, and again predictably, the 27-song double disc release suffers from some filler. All that being said, this record is definitely a solid collection of indie-country songs, and despite the heights that the Decemberists would reach in terms of composition, songwriting, and instrumentation, is still not a disappointing listen, which is an accomplishment in and of itself. I feel a bit bad for the other guys in the band, as this record will undoubtedly be received with respect to another band that they had nothing to do with. But succumbing to the pitfall of judging this strictly on Colin Meloy terms: rarely are a notable songwriter's embarrassing baby pictures so interesting.