THE CRANE WIFE

Ah, finally The Decemberists have been added to the Archives. I felt obligated to review what I feel is the best Decemberists album. Now I may not have heard everything they have to offer, but from what I have heard, this is definitely my favourite. I'll do the standard track by track review, starting with one of my favourites, The Crane Wife 3.

1. The Crane Wife 3:

This track opens the album very powerfully and from the first time I heard it, I loved it. This being the first Decemberists album I heard, I was practically hooked on them after hearing it. The length is a bit disappointing though, so I will give it 9/10

2. The Island: Come and See/ The Landlord's Daughter/ You'll Not Feel The Drowning:

This is THE best song on the album by far. It's a respectable 12 minutes long and all 3 parts are just the right length. They also flow so well from each part; it really is a joy to listen to. The organ is fantastic on here as well. 10/10 from me.

3. Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then):

This one is one of the more catchy fun songs on the album, and includes a good female guest performance by Laura Veirs. The duet singing is quite nice, and it's a nice change of pace from The Island. Not the greatest song on here though. 8/10

4. O Valencia!:

This one is one of my favourites. It's very upbeat and catchy, and I believe it is one of their best and most popular songs. This one is more Indie sounding than progressive, but it is still a great track. 10/10

5. The Perfect Crime #2:

The Perfect Crime is probably my least favourite on the album. It has a good catchy beat, but the lyrics leave a lot to be desired, not to mention the repeating of "It was a perfect, a perfect, a perfect, a perfect, a perfect, a perfect, a perfect, a perfect crime!" makes me sick to my stomach. 5/10 from me. It is really one of my least favourite songs from the band.

6. When The War Came

This is another weak song, IMO. The pace is pretty slow and it seems to drag on longer than I would have liked it to. Not as bad as the last one though. 6/10

7. Shankill Butchers:

This has to be another one of my favourites. It's almost as if they're telling a children's story, which has been turned into a scary story that would be told around the campfire, with an acoustic guitar accompanying the story teller. The pace is very slow, but it works for the song. There is barely anything other than some acoustic guitar, background singing and some tambourine, but it is quite amazing. 9/10

8. Summersong

Another one of the catchy fun songs on the album, as well as being the shortest on song on the album. Not exactly the best song, but definitely not a bad one either. I do quite enjoy the lyrics on this track. 7/10

9. The Crane Wife 1 & 2

This is another great song on this It starts off slow, with the story being built up. It then starts to build in speed and intensity, until at about 2:30 when it explodes and they start to explain the story more. There is a short instrumental interlude between the 2 songs, before they start up again with the lyrics. The Crane Wife 1 & 2 is definitely one of my favourites on the album. 9/10

10. Sons & Daughters

This is by far the catchiest song on the album IMO, and I can see it being quite fun to see live. The lyrics are quite odd and quirky, but they work somehow. They also repeat them for pretty much the whole song, but again, they work. My one problem with it is "Here all the bombs, fade away" gets repeated way too many times for my liking, which is why I will give it only 8/10

Overall, The Crane Wife is a pretty great album. If you are into acoustic guitar I would suggest this and any other Decemberists album to you. I give it a solid 4/5, as it is definitely an excellent addition to a prog collection.