The Crane Wife

by The Decemberists

Overview

Colin Meloy and his brave Decemberists made the unlikely jump to a major label after 2005's excellent Picaresque, a move that surprised both longtime fans and detractors of the band. While it is difficult to imagine the suits at Capitol seeing dollar signs in the eyes of an accordion- and bouzouki-wielding, British folk-inspired collective from Portland, OR, that dresses in period Civil War outfits and has been known to cover Morrissey, it's hard to argue with what the Decemberists have wrought from their bounty. The Crane Wife is loosely based on a Japanese folk tale that concerns a crane, an arrow, a beautiful woman, and a whole lot of clandestine weaving. The record's spirited opener and namesake picks off almost exactly where Picaresque left off, building slowly off a simple folk melody before exploding into some serious Who power chords. This is the first indication that the band itself was ready to take the loosely ornate, reverb-heavy Decemberists sound to a new sonic level, or rather that producers Tucker Martine and Chris Walla were. On first listen, the tight, dry, and compressed production style sounds more like Queens of the Stone Age than Fairport Convention, but as The Crane Wife develops over its 60-plus minutes, a bigger picture appears. Meloy, who along with Destroyer's Dan Bejar has mastered the art of the North American English accent, has given himself over to early-'70s progressive rock with gleeful abandon, and while many of the tracks pale in comparison to those on Picaresque, the ones that succeed do so in the grandest of fashions. Fans of the group's Tain EP will find themselves drawn to "Island: Come and See/The Landlord's Daughter/You'll Not Feel the Drowning" and "The Crane Wife, Pts. 1 & 2," both of which are well over ten minutes long and feature some truly inspired moments that echo everyone from the Waterboys and R.E.M. to Deep Purple and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, while those who embrace the band's poppier side will flock around the winsome "Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then)," which relies heavily on the breathy delivery of Seattle singer/songwriter and part-time Decemberist Laura Veirs. Some cuts, like the English murder ballad "Shankill Butchers" and "Summersong" (the latter eerily reminiscent of Edie Brickell's "What I Am"), sound like outtakes from previous records, but by the time the listener arrives at the Donovan-esque (in a good way) closer, "Sons & Daughters," the less tasty bits of The Crane Wife seem a wee bit sweeter. ~ James Christopher Monger

Product Details

Release Date:	10/17/2006
Label:	Capitol/Emi Records / Capitol
UPC:	0094635398410

Tracks

1. The Crane Wife 3
2. Medley
3. Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then)
4. O Valencia!
5. The Perfect Crime
6. When the War Came
7. Shankill Butchers
8. Summersong
9. The Crane Wife 1& 2
10. Sons & Daughters

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Decemberists   Primary Artist
Chris Funk   Banjo,Guitar,Bouzouki,Dulcimer,Hurdygurdy,Percussion,Pedal Steel,Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background)
Laura Veirs   Vocals,Talking,Lead Vocals
Colin Meloy   Vocals,Bouzouki,Percussion,Lead Vocals,Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Vocals (Background)
John Moen   Drums,Percussion,Vocals (Background)
Nate Query   Bass,Cello,Percussion,Bass (Upright),Bass (Electric),Vocals (Background)
Sean Nelson   Lead Vocals,Featured Artist
Chris Walla   Keyboards,Vocals (Background)
Eyvind Kang   Viola,Violin
Ezra Holbrook   Vocals (Background)
Jenny Conlee   Piano,Accordion,Keyboards,Moog Bass,Wurlitzer,Percussion,Pump Organ,Glockenspiel,Organ (Hammond),Vocals (Background)
Carson Ellis   Lead Vocals,Featured Artist
Alela Diane   Lead Vocals,Featured Artist
Steve Drizos   Hand Drums

Technical Credits

Tucker Martine   Mixing,Producer
Colin Meloy   Design,Composer,Producer,Drum Programming
Rich Hipp   Assistant Engineer
Roger Seibel   Mastering
Chris Walla   Mixing,Producer
The Decemberists   Producer
Mike King   Design,Layout Design
Carson Ellis   Design,Lettering,Illustrations
Dawn Barger   Management
Autumn de Wilde   Photography
BJB   Mixing