The Crane Wife

It is clear that the Decemberists sound is continuing to progress. The Crane Wife is much more focused upon a central theme than previous work, however it is at the sacrifice of simple hooks and melodies. Meloy's lyrics are still as strong as ever but the musical arrangement at times reveals his love for music from the 70's...which may or may not be a bad thing dependent upon your taste. Though at times strange, the album is full of great songwriting and is money well spent.

Capitol Records deserves death. They've attempted to corrupt one of the best bands out there and had relative success. The Crane Wife sounds like the Decemberists are going backwards, confining themselves to being completely guitar-driven. However, the band has managed to outwit the bigwigs and still record some good material. The darkness of "Odalisque", the beauty of "Red Right Ankle" and the utter absurdity of "The Mariner's Revenge Song" are all absent on this record, but standing in are the sinister "Shankill Butchers", the Zeppelin-esque "When the War Came", and the uplifting "Sons & Daughters". The Crane Wife's redemption is its second half, on which the familiar accordian, harpsichord, and piano make a triumphant return. Though disappointing, still worth having.

I will defend this album to the grave. The Crane Wife is a step in the most ideal direction. Heavily influenced by Pink Floyd and Yes, there are the more tragic-themed, acoustic songs akin to their previous albums, but also new tracks that are unbelievably well-orchestrated and even completely danceable. The instrumentation is much more varied between tracks (I saw this firsthand in concert this October) with more strings and percussion, hammered dulcimer, upright bass and cello, accordion and God-knows-how-many organs. Yes, there is a more guitar-driven sound, but the lyrical quality is phenomenal. This album is much more melodic than Picaresque, and the lyrics are much more cohesive. Only Colin Meloy can write "Sing, muse, of the passion of the pistol" and successfully rhyme the words "ventricle" and "dirigible." Buy this. You will not regret it.

I have to say that the review below me is dead on, in that it does feel like they are regressing. When listening to this album, I feel nostalgic for the days of Castaways and Her Majesty and (dare I say it.. I do) the Tain. What I had loved from those albums is absent from this. Songs like the Island, Summersong, and When the War Came make me sick, as I am forced to repeatedly skip over them. I have to say I do find refuge amongst Crane Wife 1 and 2 and Crane Wife 3. Overall, this album was a complete let down for me, as I expected more of the Decemberists' absurdity and borderline genius that I had come to know and love.

The Crane Wife is a document that other artists, I think, should really be giving notice to. The songs are catchy, amazingly well-developed, and Colin's lyrics (as usual) brush stroke their way beautifully through the starchy-white canvass that is current pop music. Tracks like "The Island" and the "Shankill Butchers" are incredibly visual. The album keeps with the slightly unnerving tone that Colin and co. have developed so scrupulously. But this album also offers up a bit of psychedelia, and even some 70's organ-dance grooves. (Jenny Conlee is so cool) Seeing the current tour in person was amazing, as most could guess. I've loved the Decemberists for awhile now, and I'm so pleased with the direction that the Crane Wife has led the band. I sincerely recommend this album.

The strength of the Decemberists has always been their ability to present their songs with a whimsical tendency toward excess and theatrics. The wink and nod of past albums are what sanctioned the listener's willing suspension of disbelief, allowing Meloy's grandiose literary aspirations to seem legitimate, joyful and yes, even heroic. On their first major label release, The Crane Wife, the feeling of irony and theatre are gone, leaving the lyrics and musicianship sounding calculated, mechanical and self-important. By track 2 one gets the impression that we're listening to an aural projection of what would happen if the dialogue from a Wes Anderson film were placed in the style of a Jerry Bruckheimer film. <br><br>

The lack of whimsy isn't the only problem here. The production on the instruments, the guitars in particular, are so glossy and sterile that the driving chorus crescendo of Castaways and Cutouts' ''Youth and Beauty Brigade'' isn't even possible. Also, Meloy has resorted to repetition in a number of the songs, singing phrases over and over and over without a specified purpose. The result is nothing short of irritating. <br><br>

But they are still the Decemberists and there are still good songs hiding in the cracks. The final 4 songs on the album again suffer from production, but are not destroyed by it. Meloy is still a great songwriter and it is impossible to ignore. But making allowances for the craft isn't enough to save a dull and repetitive album. If anyone ever tries to tell you that style and substance aren't co-dependent, shove your dusty copy of The Crane Wife down their throat.