CASTAWAYS AND CUTOUTS

"Castaways and Cutouts" is the debut full-length studio album by US, Portland, Oregon based indie/folk rock act The Decemberists. The album was released through Hush Records in May 2002. While "Castaways and Cutouts" was the band´s first full-length album release, The Decemberists had already released the "5 Songs" EP in 2001. The band formed in 2000 and had to work hard to earn enough money to record the material for the "5 Songs" (2001) EP (which was recorded in 2 hours), but the EP eventually worked as a demo they could send to labels, and resulted in their signing to Hush Records.

Stylistically the material on "Castaways and Cutouts" is relatively simple vers/chorus based folk oriented rock. The emphasis is on the strong, melodic, and melancholic vocal melodies and the organic instrumentation. The lyrics are sometimes weird, but in a nice humourous way. Colin Meloy´s warm voice and pleasant delivery are the center of the music. Most tracks on the album are about 4-5 minutes long but the closing track "California One/Youth And Beauty Brigade" is a 9:50 minutes long composition which is a bit more experimental in sound and style than the remaining material. It´s basically just two songs merged into one though, so we´re not exactly being treated to anything aimed at a progressive rock audience.

The musicianship is top notch on all posts. The Decemberists are a well playing unit creating a warm and organic sound. Acoustic guitars, upright bass, drums, pedal steel, theremin, Hammond organ, piano, Rhodes piano, and accordion are the instruments used on the album. The organic and warm production job further enhances the "feel good" yet slightly melancholic atmosphere of the music. So upon conclusion "Castaways and Cutouts" is a good quality debut album by The Decemberists. A few more experimental ideas would have made the album a bit more interesting and less "safe", but a 3 star (60%) rating is still deserved.