MUSIC REVIEWS I GENERALLY AGREE WITH BUT MUST NITPICK ANYWAY

The Detroit Free Press reviews The Decemberists' brilliant major label debut, "The Crane Wife":

This whip-smart art-rock band jumps to a major label on its fourth album, with thankfully no compromises to its complex sound, a strange but beautiful concoction that brings to mind a hybrid of bands XTC and King Crimson.

I'm guessing the reviewer has never listened to Neutral Milk Hotel. More:

Decemberists' leader Colin Meloy, a native of Montana...

After which, no mention of Portland. This is like mentioning Art Alexakis is a native of Los Angeles, but neglecting to mention that Everclear is proudly based in Portland, Oregon. (Alexakis once gave a shout-out to the West Hills, Meloy once gave a shout-out to the Multnomah County Library.)

Bayonets, sabers, dirigibles and butchers are conjured up here to help tell the bizarre tale of a man who discovers that his wife is a crane -- a bird, not a piece of construction equipment.

Hahahahaha shut up.

The Decemberists may be far too left-field and precious for some, but the group's growing legion of fans is proving naysayers wrong.

I understand what he means by "left-field," but isn't the compound word I'd choose. The band might've chosen to make "16 Military Wives" and their hard-rocking new track, "When The War Came" into anti-war anthems — and I bet Meloy was tempted to do so — but one thing that's great about The Decemberists is they'd rather tell a story than grind an axe.

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posted by WWB at 8:31 PM |