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Converted from paper version of the Broad Ripple Gazette (v03n21)
Rick On The Records - by Rick Zeigler
posted: Oct. 20, 2006

Rick on the Records header

THE DECEMBERISTS-THE CRANE WIFE
The Decemberists have always been a band built on literary ambitions. Colin Meloy, songwriter and leader, has tended to structure his albums around a coherent storyline and then wedded this story to his music. Previous stories have focused on maritime adventures, pirates, and Victorian England. The musical accompaniment, while definitely rock, often shadowed the time depicted: lots of "old-sounding" instruments (banjos, various keyboards, jews harps, etc). While this ambition certainly separated his band from the indie-rock pack, it also sometimes resulted in a number of forced or contrived-sounding passages to make everything sound like it fit together. With The Crane Wife, the Decemberists' first effort for a major label, Meloy has slightly altered his tack and come up with the best album of his band's career. While still penning an ambitious tale of love, war, greed, and betrayal, again set in some 19th century past (judging from the language), Meloy has largely ditched the passages referencing older musical styles. Instead, he has penned a fantastic set of thoroughly modern-sounding, highly melodic, and effortlessly catchy rock songs. The only obvious references are to previous rock styles, be they the Talking Heads ("The Perfect Crime #2), 70's prog-rock (the fantastic 12-minute opus, "The Island/Come And See/The Landlord's Daughter/You'll Not Feel The Drowning") or any number of sixties bands (the "ba-ba-ba" backing vocals laced throughout). While most of the songs are built on a foundation of acoustic guitars and keyboards, the secret musical weapon may be the drumming of John Moen. Using a variety of tom-tom patterns to great effect, Moen's beats are varied throughout the album, driving things forward without becoming redundant. In sum, Meloy has seemingly found that stories referencing the past can be built upon music that is thoroughly rooted in the present, with the strength of the songs leading the listener from one literary passage to the next via a glorious string of melodies and hooks. This results in one attending even more closely to the lyrics on offer. For a band with literary ambitions, one can think of no finer approach to the material.

BECK-THE INFORMATION
Beck's latest album is built on the foundations laid by his last few outings, combining the white-boy funkiness of Guero (and many of his earlier outings) with the acoustic melancholia of his Sea Change long-player (considered by this writer to be his finest effort). Produced, like Sea Change, by current uber-producer Nigel Goodrich (Radiohead, Paul McCartney), most of the songs start with a simple, danceable drum-bass line, often augmented by spare guitars and keyboards. There is the occasional sample-synth wash of sound that brings to mind the paranoiac-sounding aspects of Radiohead, but most of the choruses tend toward placing the emphasis on the acoustic side of things. This, along with the minor-key nature of much of the work, laces Beck's latest funk with a touch of sadness rather than the detached irony to which we are accustomed.



Rick Zeigler, along with his wife, Jeanne, owns Indy CD and Vinyl at 806 Broad Ripple Avenue. Back in his musician days, his band opened for the likes of U2, XTC, Gang Of Four, The Pretenders, Los Lobos, and, um, Flock Of Seagulls, among others. You can read all of Rick's reviews at www.indycdandvinyl.com. Email your music questions and comments to rick@BroadRippleGazette.com




rick@broadripplegazette.com
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