Progarchives, the progressive rock ultimate discography

THE DECEMBERISTS

Prog Folk • United States


From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

The Decemberists picture
The Decemberists biography
Founded in Portland, USA, in 2000

The Decemberists are a sometimes-quintet hailing from Portland, Oregon and currently signed to the Capitol Records label. While often referred to as an indie band, they have evolved over their seven years of existence into a group that delivers passionate, ambitious, and sophisticated story-centered music that both incorporates and transcends a number of styles and apparent influences. The band has established a reputation for eclectic and wildly unconventional arrangements, lively and interactive concerts, and unusual lyrical themes that sometimes border on the bizarre.

Band founder Colin MELOY was born and reared in the rustic and rugged northwestern hamlet of Helena, Montana (USA), and began his musical career as singer/songwriter for the alternative-country bands HAPPY CACTUS and TARKIO before resettling in Portland to form the DECEMBERISTS. Meloy has also toured as a solo act promoting his personal recordings of Morrissey covers, as well as a heavily folk-driven album of Shirley Collins standards.

The band's first offering was the self-released '5 Songs' in 2001, actually a six-track EP which included several songs referencing local Montana historical sites and events, as well as the whimsical ditty "My Mother Was A Chinese Trapeze Artist" written in response to pressure from his parents to abandon music for a more reliable and respected career. This was followed by their first full length album 'Castaways and Cutouts', which was packed with character sketches and period pieces with references ranging from the Nazi concentration camps of Birkenau to ghosts of stillborn infants, to homeless people in love to a mother-turned-prostitute trying to feed her children. The sympathetic glimpses of the human Struggle and unconventional instrumentation are reminiscent of bands like VIOLENT FEMMES or an unpretentious version of NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL.

Their next album 'Her Majesty the Decemberists' began a gravitation toward nautical themes possibly influenced by the band's settling in the coastal town of Portland, Oregon. In addition to what were by now becoming almost obligatory odd character sketches such as the story of a chimney sweep (a desperate wedded couple; gymnast; and a bumbling soldier) were a number of historical tales centered around the American poet Myla Goldberg, as well as the British frigate HMS Arethusa. The album also includes Meloy's passionate life-affirmation "I Was Meant for...
read more

THE DECEMBERISTS Videos (YouTube and more)


Showing only random 3 | Show all THE DECEMBERISTS videos (2) | Search and add more videos to THE DECEMBERISTS

Buy THE DECEMBERISTS Music


THE DECEMBERISTS discography


Ordered by release date | Showing ratings (top albums) | Help Progarchives.com to complete the discography and add albums

THE DECEMBERISTS top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.58 | 67 ratings
Castaways And Cutouts
2002
3.10 | 50 ratings
Her Majesty
2003
3.61 | 84 ratings
Picaresque
2005
3.99 | 171 ratings
The Crane Wife
2006
4.07 | 304 ratings
The Hazards of Love
2009
2.93 | 93 ratings
The King Is Dead
2011
2.68 | 37 ratings
What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World
2015
3.09 | 14 ratings
I'll Be Your Girl
2018

THE DECEMBERISTS Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.10 | 2 ratings
Live From SoHo
2007
3.09 | 9 ratings
We All Raise Our Voices to the Air
2012

THE DECEMBERISTS Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

3.92 | 6 ratings
A Practical Handbook
2007

THE DECEMBERISTS Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

THE DECEMBERISTS Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)

2.27 | 20 ratings
5 Songs
2001
3.78 | 27 ratings
The Tain
2004
2.08 | 9 ratings
Billy Liar
2004
3.06 | 3 ratings
16 Military Wives
2005
2.58 | 5 ratings
Picaresqueties
2005
3.05 | 3 ratings
Connect Sets
2006
0.00 | 0 ratings
O Valencia!
2007
0.00 | 0 ratings
The Perfect Crime #2
2007
4.00 | 1 ratings
Live at Austin City Limits Music Festival
2008
2.68 | 6 ratings
Always The Bridesmaid: Vol 1
2008
2.58 | 5 ratings
Always The Bridesmaid: Vol 2
2008
3.02 | 7 ratings
Always The Bridesmaid: Vol 3
2008
0.00 | 0 ratings
The Rake's Song
2009
3.00 | 1 ratings
January Hymn
2010
2.54 | 7 ratings
Down By The Water
2010
3.89 | 9 ratings
Long Live the King
2011
0.00 | 0 ratings
iTunes Session
2011
0.00 | 0 ratings
Live at Bull Moose
2011
0.00 | 0 ratings
Make You Better
2014
2.13 | 5 ratings
Florasongs
2015
4.00 | 4 ratings
Traveling On
2018

THE DECEMBERISTS Reviews


Showing last 10 reviews only
 Billy Liar by DECEMBERISTS, THE album cover Singles/EPs/Fan Club/Promo, 2004
2.08 | 9 ratings

BUY
Billy Liar
The Decemberists Prog Folk

Review by TCat
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin

2 stars "Billy Liar" is a short EP, or the bands first single. It consists of 2 songs from the album "Her Majesty" and 2 b-sides, not available anywhere else as far as I know. The first track is "Billy Liar" and is the same version as what is on the album. It is an upbeat, jaunty tune. "Los Angeles, I'm Yours" is also from that album in the same version. This is a nice tune, again upbeat with strumming guitar and other accompanying instruments, and features a harmonica solo reminiscent of Stevie Wonder mixed with strings. It seems both of these songs deal with child-ish perversions.

The last two tracks are unique to this EP. "Everything I Try to Do, Nothing Seems to Turn Out Right". It starts out with keyboards and repeating chords and vocals. Some guitar and percussion is added later. It stays at a midtempo. There is some nice slide guitar in the instrumental breaks. "Sunshine" has a retro sound, but again deals humorously with someone's butt. Again, it is a bright tune, mostly acoustic.

The songs fit together well, but do very little to hold my interest. There is no semblance of prog here, and, as a matter of fact, not much folk either. Just bouncy pop songs with a mostly acoustic flavor. The best surprise is the slide guitar in the 3rd track. But, all in all, it's not really worth searching for. The 2 b-sides are really nothing special. This one is for the fans and collectors.

 I'll Be Your Girl by DECEMBERISTS, THE album cover Studio Album, 2018
3.09 | 14 ratings

BUY
I'll Be Your Girl
The Decemberists Prog Folk

Review by tempest_77

3 stars Realistically speaking, there's only one prog offering on this album, and that's the 8 minute "Rusalka, Rusalka / Wild Rushes". While not necessarily as proggy as some of their work off of "The Crane Wife" or "Hazards of Love", the song is absolutely the highlight of the album; it's a wonderful two part story that has a lot of great contrasts between the two halves. There's a great climax in the slow, dramatic first part that leads into the quicker, more cheerful second part, and it brings back some of the riffing organ work from their past albums. Definitely an essential part of their catalogue, and if the whole album were on the same level, it'd be 5 stars no question..

Apart from that song, there are some other great songs, though none of them prog. "Cutting Stone" is a great song that starts with a dramatic, folk-y theme, which repeats and mixes in the synth-pop elements that are all over this album. I don't love it all the time, but here it works really well. "Severed" is very predominantly in the synth-pop genre, but it's led by a distorted guitar and the vocals are dark and muffled, both of which work really well with the political theme of the song. "Starwatcher", alongside "Rusalka, Rusalka / Wild Rushes", is definitely one the more purely folk songs on the record, which I enjoy a lot. "Everything is Awful" is a great indie rock tune that's based on a single repeating verse with a few bridges. It starts out with just an acoustic guitar and one vocal, and by the end of the song it has layered vocals and gets pretty heavy with the distorted guitar and John Moen just beating the hell out of the drums, before transitioning into a chorus-like vamp that ends the song; definitely my favourite song after "Rusalka, Rusalka / Wild Rushes". "Sucker's Prayer" is a great tune with a slow rock feel; great emotional energy and lyrics in this one.

All and all, the album is okay, with a few highlight tunes, but most of it isn't anywhere close to prog. However, the few great songs and the one prog offering it does have is an improvement from their last two albums. In general, it's a little better than a 3/5, but it's a solid 3 from a prog perspective.

 I'll Be Your Girl by DECEMBERISTS, THE album cover Studio Album, 2018
3.09 | 14 ratings

BUY
I'll Be Your Girl
The Decemberists Prog Folk

Review by waluigithewalrus

3 stars While still nowhere near the levels of their beloved "Crane Wife" and "Hazards of Love" albums, "I'll Be Your Girl" is certainly an improvement of The Decemberists preceding two albums. The warm synths that grace much of this album create a lovely sound that, while perhaps not so proggy, are definitely enjoyable. For me, the high point of this album is the roughly eight-minute "Rusalka, Rusalka/Wild Rushes," which brings back the sort of storytelling that made The Decemberists so popular to begin with. I also quite enjoyed "Severed" with its intimidating tone, though I warn that if you are a fan of America's current presidential administration, there's a good chance that you won't find the song quite as enjoyable. Also high points for me on this album are "Once In My Life," "Starwatcher," and the title track "I'll Be Your Girl." Overall, I don't necessarily think this essential to a prog collection, but I think its definitely worthwhile to have for a general music collection.
 Castaways And Cutouts by DECEMBERISTS, THE album cover Studio Album, 2002
3.58 | 67 ratings

BUY
Castaways And Cutouts
The Decemberists Prog Folk

Review by siLLy puPPy
Special Collaborator PSIKE, JRF/Canterbury, P Metal, Eclectic

4 stars THE DECEMBERISTS began their indie rock career in Portland, Oregon and gained attention with their lyrical focus on historical incidents and folklore as well as combining the musical elements of chamber folk, indie pop, baroque pop and rock. Their style sensibilities can be traced back to the 60s British folk acts like Fairport Convention and the Fairport Convention with a healthy cross-pollination of the indie rock and newer contemporary folk acts ranging from Modest Mouse to The Postal Service and even alt-country acts such as Uncle Tupelo. The music can range from upbeat and even guitar heavy progressive pop to country tinged lush ballads. Their debut release CASTAWAYS AND CUTOUTS is a vocal led journey written by vocalist Colin Moloy's who narrates the tales of the CASTAWAYS of the world such as Spanish gypsies and Turkish prostitutes.

One of the greatest assets of THE DECEMBERISTS is the fact that their music is so diverse. While mainly led by Meloy who is the lead singer, guitarist and chief songwriter, there is also a heavy presence of keyboards by Jenny Conlee who employs ample uses of Hammond organ, accordion, rhodes piano and other synthesized effects. Also on the team is percussionist Ezra Holbrook, Nate Query on upright bass and Chris Funk who adds additional guitar parts including the pedal steel and occasional theremin. All of the these unique instruments add interesting atmospheres and crossover genre styles that give THE DECEMBERISTS their own unique sound. The differences between songs is quite pronounced. While "Grace Cathedral Hill" is more of a sorrowful tale of lament that is a lush country ballad, "The Legionnaire's Lament" is an upbeat pop rock track that utilizes distorted ska guitar techniques, energetic accordion, bass and drum interaction and a extra catchy pop hook.

CASTAWAYS AND CUTOUTS made an immediate impression and accumulated an instant fan base and the band found a unique niche that has been compared (unfairly) to Neutral Milk Hotel although as with any folk oriented bands, similarities can be heard. Although the debut is a much more stripped down affair from the second album on where the band would include more guest musicians adding a more extensive range of sounds, CASTAWAYS AND CUTOUTS focuses more on the strong songwriting and inventive genre fusion techniques led by Meloy. While not as popular as albums such as "The Crane Wife" or "The Hazards Of Love," the debut is a decent album in its own right with a stronger roots oriented feel to it. While i have to admit that Meloy's idiosyncratic vocal style that seems equidistant between country and folk with a little mopey indie rock thrown in for good measure, it ultimately has won me over and fits the mournful saddened feel of the album.

 We All Raise Our Voices to the Air by DECEMBERISTS, THE album cover Live, 2012
3.09 | 9 ratings

BUY
We All Raise Our Voices to the Air
The Decemberists Prog Folk

Review by Prog Leviathan
Prog Reviewer

3 stars Indie/folk darlings offer up a proper live album to showcase their infectious blend of playful, anachronistic, and gentlemanly rock music. The whole affair is a jaunty and lively experience, well-played and soulfully sung. However, and it's sort of a big however, the group's sound has difficulty capturing the same level of depth and texture that we hear throughout their studio work. Instead, the songs feel more riff heavy and electric than we're used to. Not necessarily a bad thing, considering that this live set-list is meant to get your toe-tapping, but in general it doesn't sweep one up as much as I would hope.

The songs emphasize the newly released King is Dead, with some dabbling primarily from Picaresque and Crane Wife; effective selections overall, though if you're looking for something as sensitive or artistic as you heard on Hazards of Love, you won't hear it. We All Raise Our Voices to the Air has a crowd-pleasing, festival feel, and is more concerned with creating a fun concert experience than it is with reveling in the antique and finely crafted sound that the band produces in the studio.

Definitely check it out if you're interested in seeing a slightly heavier side of a legitimately good indie/folk band.

Setlist: 3 - Instrumental Performances: 3 - Stage/Energy: 3 - Live Experience: 3

 Florasongs by DECEMBERISTS, THE album cover Singles/EPs/Fan Club/Promo, 2015
2.13 | 5 ratings

BUY
Florasongs
The Decemberists Prog Folk

Review by Neu!mann
Prog Reviewer

2 stars You might have thought his long sabbatical after recording "The King is Dead" would have given Colin Meloy enough time to recharge his creative batteries. That hope was quickly spoiled by the release of "What a Terrible World, What a Beautiful World" in 2015: an album sounding like the flotsam of earlier, unrealized projects, exhumed from the bottom drawer of Meloy's songwriting cabinet.

Predictably, this modest collection of leftovers from the same studio sessions appeared shortly afterward: in effect an EP of outtakes from an album of outtakes. If nothing else, the five songs here marked a full-circle retreat to the unremarkable Indie Rock of the "5 Songs" EP from 2001, in retrospect hardly a Decemberists classic but at least showing some of the youthful aspirations missing from the band's current efforts.

After fifteen years of escalating success the group now sounds a bit jaded, content to rest on their wilting laurels. "Riverswim" is a pretty song, once again mining the same vein of faux-Americana exploited for "The King is Dead" a half-decade earlier. "Fits and Starts" presents another plagiarized R.E.M.-style rocker, one of many already dotting the Decemberist landscape. There's even a song titled "Stateside", by coincidence (or maybe not) a bookend reflection of the "5 Songs" ballad "Oceanside".

Even the signature vocal tremolo of Meloy, so distinctive when he's singing about 'brickbats and Bowery toughs', is fast becoming a tiresome affectation. The Decemberists certainly deserve all the acclaim their music has earned them in the past. But with the eclecticism long gone, and with Meloy complacently treading very shallow water, it might be time to admit his band's best years are behind them.

 What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World by DECEMBERISTS, THE album cover Studio Album, 2015
2.68 | 37 ratings

BUY
What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World
The Decemberists Prog Folk

Review by Neu!mann
Prog Reviewer

2 stars The first Decemberists album after a four-year recess continued in the same, mainstream direction as "The King is Dead", to the dismay of anyone who, like me, first discovered the group through their ambitious "The Hazards of Love" project in 2009. Since then the band has retooled its idiosyncratic style in pursuit of a more commercial muse, playing shorter songs with fewer eccentricities, explicitly tailored for lower common denominator NPR airplay.

There's nothing wrong with that. When properly motivated, Colin Meloy can still write incredibly well-crafted pop songs ("Make You Better") and lovely acoustic ballads ("Lake Song", and is that a Mellotron I hear over the chorus?). But the material here sounds oddly disengaged, lacking even the lightweight thread of backwoods Americana that held the "King" album loosely together.

"We had to change some", Meloy insists at the start of the album, in a narcissistic ditty transparently named "The Singer Addresses His Audience". The author denies any autobiographical bias, but I don't believe it: he's too smart not to realize the song plays like a slap in the face to longtime fans who treasured the band's originality. We get it, Colin: you've outgrown that trademark antique Victorian charm and tongue-in-cheek narrative whimsy. Change is good, but not when you're defending your weakest album to date (and still performing "The Mariner's Revenge Song" on stage).

Ironically, "The Singer Addresses..." is by far the album's strongest track: a thrilling return to form, at least musically. Elsewhere the songs too often go in one ear and out the other, and thankfully too: "Easy Come, Easy Go", as Meloy sings in the (almost) catchy rocker of the same name. That old-thyme American folk sound from "The King is Dead" resurfaces in "Carolina Low" and "Better Not Wake the Baby" (what was that you said about needing to change, Colin..?) And the band hits rock bottom in the twin nadirs of "Cavalry Captain" and "Philomena", the former sounding not unlike the worst of '80s Phil Collins (but with pithier lyrics), and the latter a fluffy pop nonentity with atypically smarmy lyrics unworthy of the pen that wrote "The Crane Wife".

Let's hope such a unique songwriter, who describes himself (in "Lake Song") as being at one time "seventeen and terminally fey", soon grows tired of career-building and reconnects with the buoyant spirit of his wayward youth.

 Picaresque by DECEMBERISTS, THE album cover Studio Album, 2005
3.61 | 84 ratings

BUY
Picaresque
The Decemberists Prog Folk

Review by Prog Leviathan
Prog Reviewer

3 stars This third album by the Decemberists sees the indi-rock darlings escalating the bombast and artistry of their nuanced, hand-crafted songs and stories. The result is a strong show of the band's unique sound and identity that shows progression from their previous two works, and feels like a warm up for the two excellent albums that follow. Taken by itself, Picaresque is an album of stand alone songs that sometimes captivate, sometimes romance, sometimes poke fun at, and sometimes miss the mark, making for a good but not essential prog-folk experience.

The opener "Infanta" is a huge, bombastic, and upbeat attention grabber with a Spanish flair. It's pretty good, and may be a prog fan's highlight of the album. However, it's hardly representative of what follows. "We Both Go Down Together" is a sing-songy tune with an abundance of Meloy vocals and violin counter melody. A good example of a song that has a few moments of appeal but doesn't quite work as intended. We're given songs that are playful and charming, melancholic and sorrowful, and even ambitious balladry like "Bagman's Gambit". This song is another good example of a mixed bag; the composition has numerous dynamic shifts and nuance, but doesn't have the emotional "umph" to resonate. "Mariner's Revenge Song" is better, thanks to its reliance on acoustics and occasional moments of intensity. Ironically, the excellent instrumental performances and nuanced vocals of later albums haven't quite developed yet, but the album retains a strong sense of presence and fun despite this.

For me Picaresque is at its best at its most extreme: very ambitious and "forte," or very acoustic and sensitive. There is too much middling to make this more than a 3-star prog folk release. Those curious about the band should check out the much better albums that follow first, and temper expectations if working backwards.

Songwriting: 3 - Instrumental Performances: 2 - Lyrics/Vocals: 2 - Style/Emotion/Replay: 3

 The King Is Dead by DECEMBERISTS, THE album cover Studio Album, 2011
2.93 | 93 ratings

BUY
The King Is Dead
The Decemberists Prog Folk

Review by Prog Leviathan
Prog Reviewer

3 stars The King is Dead is the Decemberists celebrating their indie/folk stylings more than their prog-folk artistry. This really shouldn't be surprising, considering that at the time of this album's release, 3 of the band's 5 records were more indie than prog. However, it's also not surprising that the Prog Archives average reviews shows that we as a group favor those 2 albums that lean more towards prog than indie. The King is Dead isn't the follow-up that some of us wanted after the excellent Hazards of Love, but it is an enjoyable example of the Decemberist's thoughtful blend of rock and folk.

In fact, the King is Dead is probably the best example of the band's "total package" to date. It's heavy parts are heavier; it's softer parts are more tender; the vocals sound more experienced; and the instrumental moments are very well executed. The band plays with a more electric sound then they have in the past, with fewer antique and acoustic instruments in the mix. Query's bass stands out as being more prevalent throughout, as does the vocals of Meloy, which come across as more mature and steadier. None of the songs cut as deeply or as powerfully as we heard in Hazards, but this is a different kind of album. It's a mix of mostly mid-tempo tunes that stand well alone or when taken in as a group.

The songwriting and tone doesn't even tip-toe into "progressive" territory, but that doesn't make the King is Dead bad, just good but not essential. Recommended right behind the more artistic Crane Wife and Hazards of Love.

Songwriting: 3 - Instrumental Performances: 3 - Lyrics/Vocals: 3 - Style/Emotion/Replay: 4

 Her Majesty by DECEMBERISTS, THE album cover Studio Album, 2003
3.10 | 50 ratings

BUY
Her Majesty
The Decemberists Prog Folk

Review by Prog Leviathan
Prog Reviewer

2 stars The Decemberists are known for their sort of antique, hand-crafted brand of folk/prog, and while Her Majesty definitely has a style and tone consistent with the group's other albums, this one lacks the creative spark to grab hold of the listener and leave much of an impression by its conclusion.

It's hard exactly to pinpoint what holds Her Majesty back. Maybe its the song writing, which lose depth and creativity as the album goes on. Maybe its Meloy's very exposed vocals, and comparatively uninspired vocals. We just aren't given that much to catch our interest, as song after song goes by in a folksy, twangy mish-mash of acoustic sounds. The whole album sounds sort of like B-sides, or unfinished works in need of a sharper production and edit for impact.

Still, the bands's playing is good overall, giving us some interesting tones that emerge from an otherwise bland entry from the otherwise engaging band. One for the fans.

Songwriting: 2 - Instrumental Performances: 3 - Lyrics/Vocals: 2 - Style/Emotion/Replay: 2

Thanks to ClemofNazareth for the artist addition. and to Quinino for the last updates

Copyright Prog Archives, All rights reserved. | Legal Notice | Privacy Policy | Advertise | RSS + syndications

Other sites in the MAC network: JazzMusicArchives.com — jazz music reviews and archives | MetalMusicArchives.com — metal music reviews and archives

Donate monthly and keep PA fast-loading and ad-free forever.