In the shadow of the forthcoming LP by The Decemberists, Hazards of Love, now foreseen to be released in March of 2009, the 5-piece indie ensemble released a series of two song singles entitled Always the Bridesmaid: A Singles Series over the past two months, consisting of seven total tracks available on vinyl or digital download across the web.
The first installment, Valerie Plame, included the title track and on its B-side "O New England," the former resembling a bit of the old with a bit of the new, and the latter taking a page out of The Decemberists' roots in basic song styles. The first track, "Valerie Plame," obviously about the famed CIA officer of the same name, whose name was kept in secrecy, paints a layered picture of what this band is capable of. On the forefront is the voice of Colin Meloy, along with his melodic acoustic guitar and the drums of John Moen. Slowly, instruments are introduced, next the mandolin and bass guitar, an electric guitar to balance the organs, and in the ensuing verses and choruses, tuba, accordion, trumpets, a bevy of backing vocals all piling into one another to form a shouting chorus singing in unison "la da da da, hey hey Valerie Plame..." as the song fades away. If one were to stumble upon the band merely from this one song, they would hear all that the Decemberists have to offer in one healthy serving, great lyrics, great harmonies, and great imagination.
The first volume ends with "O New England," balancing out the epicness of the previous track with its basic chord progression, relaxing bass tones, and soothing lyrics. This track reminds me much of their first EP (5 Songs), not venturing too much into the odd array of instruments they're known to employ, sticking to guitars and organs, and of course, amazing backup vocals to echo the lyrics of Colin. And in the style they love, they end the track with the repeated lines, "we'd come seven hours down," making it hard for one not to sing along.
The second installment, Days of Elaine, features the title track and also their cover of "I'm Sticking With You", the first of which shows Colin's great range in lyrical lore, and the second displaying their ability to create apt renditions of other artists' work. "Days of Elaine" tells a brilliant, depressing as always, story with great references and vocabulary that beg you to faint in awe. The second verse especially finds itself warm to my heart -- "when they strung him up, he got all hung up in the scaffolding" -- how they can weave a tale to an upbeat tempo, and still present a woeful picture, an amazing quality in their work. Also included is a longer version of the song, ending with an extended solo section consisting of some really interesting and creative solo work by the band.
The single ends with the cover of The Velvet Undeground's "I'm Sticking With You", to the brilliant workings of Jenny Conlee on piano and the dual vocals of Jenny and Colin harmonizing. Coming out of the bridge to the repeated refrain of "Whoa-oa, I'm sticking with you...", it seems that only The Decemberists could pull this off, aside from the Velvet Underground, toying with these basic chords, the slow relaxed drums and light guitar solo of Chris Funk. They hit this song right on the money, performing to the peak of their talents, easily fitting a smile upon my face just as the song fades, and someone laughs in the background (I think it's Chris Funk by the way).
The third installment, Record Year for Rainfall, features the title track as well as a crowd favorite, "Raincoat Song." These last two songs would probably be my favorite as a collection, which is so hard for me to say being totally obsessed with pretty much everything the band has released the last three years. "Record Year for Rainfall" is absolutely my favorite of the entire EP though. It begins very calmly with Colin on guitar, playing an awkward, yet beautiful, chord, and quickly joined by Chris on banjo echoing the higher notes. And just after the first verse concludes, making way for the second, Nate enters with his acoustic bass, adding a very necessary old fashioned quality. I also love how the drums are very relaxed, only present for the chorus and lifted for the verses. In the chorus we are also pleased to hear a little steel guitar picks, and some light violin. It would be a Jenny-less song up until the end, where in the outro her piano makes an appearance, deep and dark notes in the background. The song ends just as it begins, Colin and Chris sharing the stage, and brilliantly trailing off with a beautiful guitar chord.
"Raincoat Song" was one the songs Colin took to the road on his solo tour, so a few of us may be familiar with it. But despite that, we are all the more excited to hear it in a studio recording. The story behind it is beautiful, I believe it to be about Colin's sweetheart Carson Ellis, who did much of the artwork for their albums. Personally, this song holds a lot of weight because of how simple it is. It distinguishes itself from the others in the EP due to it only featuring one guitar and the voices of Colin and an unidentified second (could be Jenny, could be a male from the band, could even be Colin a second time). And thus, the song becomes very easy to listen to, something one could serenade themselves to sleep with, fit for any occasion on any day. It ends just as beautifully as it begins, back to the simple chord it starts with. And there we are left, aching for more, wondering how amazing the LP coming next could possibly be. To others, those not blessed with the music Colin and his crew have left for us, the next three months are just like any other three normal months. But to us, the proud few who have been enchanted by the comical wit, the charming title, the fascinating lyrics, and most of all the wondrous voice of music, these next months will be the last remaining before we are again bewitched by their ingenious sounds.
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