The Decemberists

[soldier92]

Anyone gotten this album yet? It's amazing, just as good as their other albums. It's a little heavier than their other stuff but it's great. The female singer has a much bigger role and I had no idea how amazing her voice really was. If you like The Decemberists I definately recommend it, if you don't like them...

[gaia.plateau]

I've been an astronomically huge fan of there's for years... hearing this album a few weeks ago made me want to jump off a bridge

I'm going to give it a chance, listen through it a dozen times or so... but my first impressions were pretty grim.

March was a tremendously disappointing month for music... Yeah Yeah Yeahs' new album was electropop trash, the Handsome Furs was a human rights violation... and the Decemberists decided to trade in their haunting, baroque-indie ballads for guitar-heavy rock songs relatively bereft of vocals, and ultimately run of the mill.

Thank god for April... Silversun Pickups, the Thermals, Peter Bjorn & John, and The Boy Least Likely To. All great albums. Edited April 3, 2009 by gaia.plateau

[Hojo]

The Decemberists are my favorite band of all time. After not really liking The Crane Wife so much, I have been reticent to listen to the new one. I will still be seeing them live at Bonnaroo this year, as it would take zombie Stalin leading an army of horny wolverines to make me even think about missing it.

[SuburbanSmoker]

i actually justw went out and got the new ablum yesterday, on the third song right now and im digging it more then there previous stuff (which is saying something cause they rock)

[Imsomint]

Downloading as we speak. Synopsis coming up after a while.

[soldier92]

Gaia: I didn't like it at first either. But after some time listening to it and getting to understand the story I found some great songs on it. If you don't like the heavier guitar than I can see why you wouldn't like it but I don't think it is drastically different from their other albums, they are still very much the same band but they seem to have become much better musicians.

[outbreakpb]

Ijust got it and I really like it yeah it's different from their older stuff buy it's still really good

[Sherwood]

Everything on that album with Shara Worden is to die for. I'm glad they're touring with her again, and glad she's part of the band from an operatic standpoint

[judgeposer]

I've been an astronomically huge fan of there's for years... hearing this album a few weeks ago made me want to jump off a bridge

I'm going to give it a chance, listen through it a dozen times or so... but my first impressions were pretty grim.

March was a tremendously disappointing month for music... Yeah Yeah Yeahs' new album was electropop trash, the Handsome Furs was a human rights violation... and the Decemberists decided to trade in their haunting, baroque-indie ballads for guitar-heavy rock songs relatively bereft of vocals, and ultimately run of the mill.

Thank god for April... Silversun Pickups, the Thermals, Peter Bjorn & John, and The Boy Least Likely To. All great albums.

Just DL the Peter Bjorn & Johh. I've listened to parts of it, so...my "review" is forthcoming, but it so far seemed promising. I'll still get the latest from the Decemberists, despite their different sound.

[gaia.plateau]

I've been an astronomically huge fan of there's for years... hearing this album a few weeks ago made me want to jump off a bridge

I'm going to give it a chance, listen through it a dozen times or so... but my first impressions were pretty grim.

March was a tremendously disappointing month for music... Yeah Yeah Yeahs' new album was electropop trash, the Handsome Furs was a human rights violation... and the Decemberists decided to trade in their haunting, baroque-indie ballads for guitar-heavy rock songs relatively bereft of vocals, and ultimately run of the mill.

Thank god for April... Silversun Pickups, the Thermals, Peter Bjorn & John, and The Boy Least Likely To. All great albums.

Just DL the Peter Bjorn & Johh. I've listened to parts of it, so...my "review" is forthcoming, but it so far seemed promising. I'll still get the latest from the Decemberists, despite their different sound.

Just? Dude Swoon is one of the best albums of this century , probably only behind Youth and Young Manhood by Kings of Leon and Kill the Moonlight by Spoon. Living thing is meh, worth having on my iPod but it's basically an emaciated Merriweather Post Pavillion with synthesizers. The new albums by Metric, Boy Least, Telepathe and Ida Maria have as well all made this one of the best months for music in living memory.

[judgeposer]

I've been an astronomically huge fan of there's for years... hearing this album a few weeks ago made me want to jump off a bridge

I'm going to give it a chance, listen through it a dozen times or so... but my first impressions were pretty grim.

March was a tremendously disappointing month for music... Yeah Yeah Yeahs' new album was electropop trash, the Handsome Furs was a human rights violation... and the Decemberists decided to trade in their haunting, baroque-indie ballads for guitar-heavy rock songs relatively bereft of vocals, and ultimately run of the mill.

Thank god for April... Silversun Pickups, the Thermals, Peter Bjorn & John, and The Boy Least Likely To. All great albums.

Just DL the Peter Bjorn & Johh. I've listened to parts of it, so...my "review" is forthcoming, but it so far seemed promising. I'll still get the latest from the Decemberists, despite their different sound.

Just? Dude Swoon is one of the best albums of this century , probably only behind Youth and Young Manhood by Kings of Leon and Kill the Moonlight by Spoon. Living thing is meh, worth having on my iPod but it's basically an emaciated Merriweather Post Pavillion with synthesizers. The new albums by Metric, Boy Least, Telepathe and Ida Maria have as well all made this one of the best months for music in living memory.

I meant to say that I just downloaded the new PB&J (ha!). I will check out those other names you listed - and I agree about the Kings of Leon, definitely. It seems like we might have similar taste. Edited April 15, 2009 by judgeposer

[gaia.plateau]

I've been an astronomically huge fan of there's for years... hearing this album a few weeks ago made me want to jump off a bridge

I'm going to give it a chance, listen through it a dozen times or so... but my first impressions were pretty grim.

March was a tremendously disappointing month for music... Yeah Yeah Yeahs' new album was electropop trash, the Handsome Furs was a human rights violation... and the Decemberists decided to trade in their haunting, baroque-indie ballads for guitar-heavy rock songs relatively bereft of vocals, and ultimately run of the mill.

Thank god for April... Silversun Pickups, the Thermals, Peter Bjorn & John, and The Boy Least Likely To. All great albums.

Just DL the Peter Bjorn & Johh. I've listened to parts of it, so...my "review" is forthcoming, but it so far seemed promising. I'll still get the latest from the Decemberists, despite their different sound.

Just? Dude Swoon is one of the best albums of this century , probably only behind Youth and Young Manhood by Kings of Leon and Kill the Moonlight by Spoon. Living thing is meh, worth having on my iPod but it's basically an emaciated Merriweather Post Pavillion with synthesizers. The new albums by Metric, Boy Least, Telepathe and Ida Maria have as well all made this one of the best months for music in living memory.

I meant to say that I just downloaded the new PB&J (ha!). I will check out those other names you listed - and I agree about the Kings of Leon, definitely. It seems like we might have similar taste.

Haha, fair enough. How do you find the new PB&J in comparison to their last two? I have to be in the right mood to listen to them, but it does seem like they keep getting better.

[gaia.plateau]

Oh and to update from my first post in this thread - I've listened through Hazards cover to cover 4 times now, and I still don't care for it. I give them credit for attempting a rock opera, but the Da Vincis of indie folk should really stick to portraits, and leave the murals to the Michelangelos. Part of my dislike comes from disappointment; I've seen and heard what the Decemberists are capable of, and I'm holding Hazards up to that high standard. Mostly though, it's just blasé. If a band is going to undertake a rock opera, they need to put together a seminal piece, I mean you're basically requiring your listener to sit and listen to your album for a solid hour to get the real experience of it; Hazards is no Wall. To quote Chris Parkin, "it sounds like Death Cab For Cutie covering Fairport Convention."

Still, the worst of the Decemberists is still better than the best of most bands out there, and Hazards is, at the least, worth its megabytes on my iPod. Edited April 15, 2009 by gaia.plateau

[soldier92]

Oh and to update from my first post in this thread - I've listened through Hazards cover to cover 4 times now, and I still don't care for it. I give them credit for attempting a rock opera, but the Da Vincis of indie folk should really stick to portraits, and leave the murals to the Michelangelos. Part of my dislike comes from disappointment; I've seen and heard what the Decemberists are capable of, and I'm holding Hazards up to that high standard. Mostly though, it's just blasé. If a band is going to undertake a rock opera, they need to put together a seminal piece, I mean you're basically requiring your listener to sit and listen to your album for a solid hour to get the real experience of it; Hazards is no Wall. To quote Chris Parkin, "it sounds like Death Cab For Cutie covering Fairport Convention."

Still, the worst of the Decemberists is still better than the best of most bands out there, and Hazards is, at the least, worth its megabytes on my iPod.

Fair enough. I agree with a lot of what you said, and although I do like this album I would be happy if they returned to their earlier style. I've actually gone back to The Crane Wife because tHoL was getting stale. I still think they have grown tremendously as musicians though.

I'm really hoping they don't go farther down this path with their next album, I think that they could quickly become a band that I don't like if they do, which would be extremely dissapointing based on what they are capable of.

[moatilliatta]

I actually really enjoyed Hazards... It's breaking new ground for them, and while that can be a risky venture I think it's necessary to any artist. Who wants the same album over and over? Crane Wife might still be my favorite, but I'm really digging Hazards.

As for the new YYY's... I miss the batshit crazy Karen O from Fever To Tell, but I've enjoyed their output since for the most part. The material on this album seems like it's gonna be wayyyy more fun in a live setting, which I get to experience at Bonnaroo (along with The Decemberists!)

The album this year I'm looking forward to (and while we're on the subject, the band at Bonnaroo I'm most excited about is The Mars Volta's Octahedron, out in June (week after 'Roo I think). Their version of an 'acoustic' album, which I'm looking forward to. Most of their mellower moments are pretty good pieces of music.... And if you're a fan but afraid of a mellow TMV album, go buy the album Cryptomnesia that Omar put out with his new side project (El Nuevo Grupo de Omar Rodriguez Lopez)... Him, the singer and bassist from TMV, and the band Hella's synth player and stupidly crazy drummer. This comes out in a few weeks but it's out on the internet if you're the pirating type. It's SOOO much fun. Super intense, sooo much music packed into 36 minutes.