THE CRANE WIFE

The Decemberist's latest work, The Crane Wife, is not a terrible album overall. Though it is not as intracate as a Yes album, or as epic as a Dream Theater production, or as powerfull as a Jethro Tull effort, this is by no means a bad album. Each song is rather "happy." Now, this sounds like a cheesy description, but it is really the only way to explain it. At times, this music sounds like a Bare Naked Ladies song-- especially the shoter ones like "Summersong." For this, The Crane Wife can not be a masterpiece, or even an essential piece of progressive material, but it does have some great parts that really do shine.

In "The Crane Wife 1 & 2" there are some grat moments tword the middle. The real gem on this album, however, is "The Island." The three "movements" to the song go on just long enough and the middle section with the organ is simply magical.

AT A GLANCE: a strong album as far as catchyness goes, but many of the shorter songs are not "knockouts." This album contains some real gems like "The Island." If you happen to like anything acoustic, this is for you!

3/5