The Decemberists Rock!

I've been hearing a lot about the Portland band The Decemberists lately. It seems that everything I read about them makes liberal use of analogies to all sorts of seventies rock and folk icons, but then makes pains to say that the group's aesthetic is firmly rooted in the 19th century. (I've read the "They draw influence from the 70's ... the 1870's" gag at least three times.) This rambling list of influences is invariably followed by talk of pirates and murder ballads. All of this definitely piqued my curiosity, but it made it hard for me to know if I'd like their music or not. I've heard their songs on KEXP, but they never stick with me, leaving the impression that (assuming the hype is earned) they were one of those bands that require multiple listens to appreciate. Unfortunately, I'm cheap, so I'm wary of buying anything new that doesn't grab me right away. What if multiple listens later, I just think it sucks? Well opportunity came a-knockin' when my mom gave me an iTunes gift card for Christmas. With this free money, I downloaded their newest album last week. And now I am a Decemberists fiend.

I've been listening to the album continuously since then. It's a bit more indie rock than what I usually listen to, which prompted Anne to tease me that this album -- coupled with the new Neko Case CD that I'm still listening to incessantly months after buying it -- means I'm currently in a "pussy music" phase. (In my defense, I also used the gift card to get the new Mastodon album.) But let me tell you that even if they write songs about Civil War soldiers and a man who married a crane, The Decemberists still rock. "When the War Came" has a crunching guitar riff that proves that the heart of grunge still beats in the Northwest, and one section in the middle of the epic, second track boasts a Moog solo that channels Songs From the Wood-era Jethro Tull. If this is pussy music, then I'm guilty as charged. I just can't get enough of it.