The Decemberists

The Decemberists

The Decemberists, playing live at the 2006 Sasquatch! Music Festival
Background information
Origin Portland, Oregon, United States
Genres Indie rock, folk rock, art rock, baroque pop,[1] progressive rock
Years active 2000–present
Labels Kill Rock Stars, Capitol
Website Decemberists.com
Members
Colin Meloy
Chris Funk
Jenny Conlee
Nate Query
John Moen
Past members
Jesse Emerson
Ezra Holbrook
Rachel Blumberg
David Langenes
Petra Haden

The Decemberists are an indie folk rock band from Portland, Oregon, United States, fronted by singer/songwriter Colin Meloy. The other members of the band are Chris Funk (guitar, multi-instrumentalist), Jenny Conlee (hammond organ, accordion, melodica, piano, keyboards), Nate Query (bass guitar, string bass), and John Moen (drums, backing vocals, melodica). The band's debut EP, 5 Songs, was self-released in 2001. Their fifth full-length album, The Hazards of Love, was released on March 24, 2009 by Capitol Records, and is the band's second record with the label.

Contents

Musical style

Conlee playing accordion, with organs and other instruments nearby

The band's songs range from upbeat pop to instrumentally lush ballads, and often employ instruments like the accordion, Hammond organ, Wurlitzer organ, and upright bass. In its lyrics, the band eschews the angst and introspection common to modern rock, instead favoring a storytelling approach, as evidenced in songs such as "My Mother Was a Chinese Trapeze Artist" from the 5 Songs EP and "The Mariner's Revenge Song" on Picaresque. The band's songs convey tales ranging from whimsical ("The Sporting Life") to epic ("The Tain") to dark ("Odalisque"), and often invoke historical events and themes from around the world. Early in their career, The Decemberists' musical and lyrical aesthetics frequently prompted critics to compare them to Neutral Milk Hotel.[2]

Influences

On their website, the band claims that their official drink is Orangina, and that they "adore" the bands Norfolk & Western, The Places, The Long Winters, Death Cab for Cutie, Dokken, Tracker, The Shins, Sleater-Kinney, Electrelane, Camera Obscura, Clearlake, Tom Heinl, The Thermals, Swords, and Earlimart. The band's official biography, keeping up their reputation for grandiloquence, describes how they met in a Turkish bath. A footnote following the biography claims, "The Decemberists travel exclusively by Dr. Herring's Brand Dirigible Balloons." Colin Meloy has listed Anne Briggs, Nic Jones, and Shirley Collins – who led the 1960s British folk revival – as major influences on The Hazards of Love. Meloy has also confessed a "slavish love" for Morrissey, one of his principal influences.[3] The band has also cited their liking for Siouxsie and the Banshees,[4] and the pop tunes of REM and XTC.[5]

History

2000: Formation

The Decemberists formed in 2000 when Colin Meloy left his band Tarkio in Montana and moved to Portland, Oregon. There he met Nate Query, who introduced Meloy to Jenny Conlee (they had played together in the band Calobo) and the three scored a silent film together. Playing a solo show prior to meeting Query, Meloy met Chris Funk. Funk was a fan of Tarkio and played pedal steel on the first two Decemberists releases, not "officially" becoming a member until the third effort. The band's first drummer, Ezra Holbrook, was replaced by Rachel Blumberg after Castaways and Cutouts. The band's name refers to the Decembrist revolt, an 1825 revolt in Imperial Russia that Meloy views as an attempted communist revolution.[6] 5 Songs, the band's first album, was self-released by the band in 2001. The members at that time played for several hours in McMenamins hotel the night before to raise the money needed to record in the studio the next day. This originally served as a demo tape and the five songs on it (minus "The Apology Song") were recorded in under two hours.

2003-2005: Kill Rock Stars

After releasing its first full record Castaways and Cutouts on Hush Records, the band moved onto the Kill Rock Stars recording label. After the re-release of Castaways, Her Majesty the Decemberists was released in 2003. In 2004, the band released "The Tain," an eighteen-and-a-half minute single track based on the Irish mythological epic Táin Bó Cúailnge. The band's final album with Kill Rock Stars was Picaresque, which was recorded in a former church.

In March 2005, the band distributed a music video via BitTorrent, the self-produced "16 Military Wives" (from Picaresque).[7] In the same month, the band's equipment trailer was stolen;[8] fans contributed to a replacement fund, and another fundraiser was organized via an eBay auction, with buyers bidding for copies of Colin Meloy Sings Morrissey and original artwork by Carson Ellis. The band also received help from Lee Kruger, the Shins, the Dandy Warhols, and other musicians. The Martin Guitar Company offered 6- and 12-string guitars on permanent loan. In early April, police discovered the trailer and a portion of the band's merchandise in Clackamas, Oregon, but the instruments and equipment were not recovered.[9]

2005: Capitol Records debut

On December 12, 2005, Meloy revealed to Pitchfork Media that the band had signed to Capitol Records, and planned to begin recording their major label debut with producers Tucker Martine and Chris Walla (of Death Cab for Cutie) in April 2006.[10] The band's first album on Capitol, The Crane Wife, was released on October 3, 2006.[11] The release was accompanied by an appearance the same day on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, during which the band performed "O Valencia!". The supporting tour (called "The Rout of the Patagons Tour") began on October 17, 2006, at Portland, Oregon's Crystal Ballroom. The opening act was Lavender Diamond. Later in the tour, Alasdair Roberts opened for the band. NPR listeners voted The Crane Wife their favorite album of 2006, as announced on the December 5 episode of All Songs Considered.[12]

2006: Green screen music video

In November 2006, the band encouraged fans to create a music video for the single "O Valencia!" using footage of the band in front of a green screen. On his Comedy Central program, Stephen Colbert started a mock feud with the band, claiming his "green screen challenge" came first;[13] the band countered that its 2005 on-stage lightsaber fight in San Francisco preceded Colbert's idea.[14] The feud culminated in a December 20 guitar solo competition[14] on Colbert's show, with lead guitarist Funk representing the band. After Colbert feigned a hand injury, Peter Frampton took over for Colbert and won an audience vote. Show guests got involved, with New York Governor-elect Eliot Spitzer and Dr. Henry Kissinger declaring, "Tonight, I think the American people won." The prize for winning the challenge was revealed to be a copy of The Crane Wife. According to Meloy, the Colbert challenge was not scripted, though the band was told that Frampton would step in for Colbert.[15]

2007: "A Bit of Grass-Stain Does Not a Ruined Pair of Jeans Make" tour

In July 2007, the band embarked on a five-date tour with a full orchestral accompaniment. On July 7, the tour put the band on the stage of the historic Hollywood Bowl for the first time, pairing them with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.[16] On July 15, the band performed with The Mann Festival Orchestra at The Mann Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where they debuted a new song.[17] The band then played a free concert in Chicago at the Millennium Park with the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra.

On October 6, 2007, the band announced the cancellation of the remainder of their European tour, citing the ill health of a band member. On November 1, 2007, the band further canceled the remaining 28 shows of their "Long and Short of It" tour.[18]

2008: Always the Bridesmaid

The members of The Decemberists appeared, individually billed (as "Colin Meloy, Chris Funk, Jenny Conlee, Nate Query, and John Moen"), to perform in support of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama at a rally at the Tom McCall Waterfront Park in Portland, Oregon, on May 18, 2008. On October 14, 2008 the band began releasing a series of singles called Always the Bridesmaid; a volume was released every month until the end of the year. The band also took up a limited tour in support of the singles, including an appearance on Late Night with Conan O'Brien the day before the 2008 U.S. presidential election.

2009: The Hazards of Love

The Decemberists' latest album, The Hazards of Love was released on March 24, 2009 on Capitol Records.[19] It was made available for download on iTunes one week earlier, on March 17, 2009. The track "The Rake's Song" was put up for download on The Decemberists website in advance of the album's release. During Meloy's 2008 U.S. tour, he played several new songs that were included on the album. The album was produced by Tucker Martine.[20]

In a post on Rolling Stone's "Rock 'n' Roll Daily" blog, the band revealed more details about the album.[21] A press release read: "The album began when Meloy – long fascinated by the British folk revival of the 1960s – found a copy of revered vocalist Anne Briggs's 1966 EP, titled The Hazards of Love. Since there was no actual song with the album’s title, he set out to write one, but was soon immersed in something much larger. The Hazards of Love tells the tale of a woman named Margaret; her shape-shifting lover, William; his fey forest queen mother; and a cold-blooded, lascivious rake, who recounts with spine-tingling ease how he came "to be living so easy and free" in "The Rake's Song". Lavender Diamond’s Becky Stark and My Brightest Diamond’s Shara Worden deliver the lead vocals for the female characters, while My Morning Jacket’s Jim James, Robyn Hitchcock and The Spinanes’ Rebecca Gates appear in supporting roles. The range of sounds reflects the characters’ arcs, from the accordion’s singsong lilt in “Isn’t it a Lovely Night?” to the heavy metal thunder of 'The Queen’s Rebuke/The Crossing.'"

On February 9, 2009, the Decemberists announced in a newsletter to fans that they would be embarking on the first leg of the "A Short Fazed Hovel" Tour 2009 starting on May 19 in Los Angeles at the Hollywood Palladium. The newsletter included a complete list of dates for the first leg of the tour ending on June 14 at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee. On Monday April 27, the band performed a shortened version of "The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid" on The Colbert Report. "The Hazards of Love" and "A Short Fazed Hovel" are anagrams.[22]

Artwork

The Decemberists' album and promotional artwork is produced by Meloy's wife, Portland artist Carson Ellis.

Members

Colin Meloy
Chris Funk
Jenny Conlee
Nate Query
John Moen

Current

Former

Guests

Discography

Studio albums

Title Date Label Peak position (Billboard 200)
Castaways and Cutouts May 1, 2002 Hush
Her Majesty the Decemberists September 9, 2003 Kill Rock Stars
Picaresque March 25, 2005 Kill Rock Stars 135
The Crane Wife October 3, 2006 Capitol 35
The Hazards of Love March 24, 2009 Capitol 14

EPs

Title Date Label
5 Songs 2001 Independent Release, reissued on Hush Records
The Tain March 4, 2004 Acuarela Discos
Picaresqueties September 13, 2005 Kill Rock Stars
Connect Sets November 17, 2006 Sony Connect Exclusive
Live from SoHo January 16, 2007 iTunes exclusive

Singles

Title Date Label
"Billy Liar" September 14, 2004 Kill Rock Stars
"16 Military Wives" November 21, 2005 Kill Rock Stars
"O Valencia!" September 19, 2006 Rough Trade / Capitol
"The Perfect Crime #2" September 26, 2007 Capitol Records
"Always the Bridesmaid: Volume I" October 14, 2008 Capitol Records
"Always the Bridesmaid: Volume II" November 4, 2008 Capitol Records
"Always the Bridesmaid: Volume III" December 2, 2008 Capitol Records
"The Rake's Song" April 18, 2009[23] Capitol Records

DVD

The Decemberists: A Practical Handbook includes a full concert (filmed in December 2005) in Portland, Oregon's Roseland Theater and Paris, Before the War, a documentary about the history of the band and making of Picaresque.

References

  1. ↑ Brian Wise (2007-06-24). "Segue From ‘Gigi’ to Geek-Chic Rock". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/24/arts/music/24wise.html?pagewanted=all. Retrieved 2008-02-03. 
  2. ↑ Jesse Jarnow (September 16, 2003). "out of the aeroplane into the sea". Salon.com. http://dir.salon.com/story/ent/music/review/2003/09/16/decemberists/index.html. Retrieved 2008-09-19. 
  3. ↑ Tasha Robinson, AV Club, "The Decemberists’ Colin Meloy", 31 March 2009
  4. ↑ Pitchforkmedia, Decemberists interview by Colin Meloy, posted September 15, 2006 "The Last Beat of My Heart", It's one of my favorite Siouxsie and the Banshees songs
  5. ↑ Pitchforkmedia, interview by Brian Howe, posted October 30, 2006
  6. ↑ Gene Armstrong (June 17, 2004). "On Behalf of Orangina: The Decemberists perform their dramatic, literary alt-rock, with orangina soda in tow". Tucson Weekly. http://www.tucsonweekly.com/gbase/Music/Content?oid=oid%3A57566. Retrieved 2006-10-10. 
  7. ↑ "Rockers Flex BitTorrent's Muscle". Wired News. March 23, 2005. http://wired-vig.wired.com/news/digiwood/0,1412,66969,00.html. 
  8. ↑ "Decemberists Shipwrecked By Pirates". CMJ. 22 March 22, 2005. http://www.cmj.com/articles/display_article.php?id=3547565. 
  9. ↑ Hunt, Pete. Thieves Who Took the Decemberists' Gear. Willamette Week, March 23, 2005.
  10. ↑ Exclusive: The Decemberists Sign to Capitol Records. Pitchfork. Retrieved on November 6, 2007.
  11. ↑ [1] Exclaim.ca
  12. ↑ [2] NPR.
  13. ↑ Maher, Dave (2006-11-30). "Video: Stephen Colbert Vs. The Decemberists". Pitchfork Media. http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/39925-video-stephen-colbert-vs-the-decemberists. Retrieved 2007-06-28. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Matthew, Solarski (2006-11-30). "Exclusive: Decemberists Counterchallenge Colbert!!". Pitchfork Media. http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/page/news/39928-exclusive-decemberists-counterchallenge-colbert. Retrieved 2007-06-28. 
  15. ↑ "Colin Meloy of The Decemberists". National Public Radio. 2007-01-29. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7061028. Retrieved 2007-06-28. 
  16. ↑ Peters, Mitchell (2007-04-20). "Decemberists Get Orchestra Treatment On Tour". Billboard.com. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003574344. Retrieved 2007-06-28. 
  17. ↑ Decemberists at the Mann Center in Philadelphia- New Song. YouTube. Retrieved November 6, 2007.
  18. ↑ Decemberists cancel 28 shows due to illness. CNN.com. Retrieved on November 6, 2007.
  19. ↑ http://www.decemberists.com/#
  20. ↑ http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2008/10/colin-meloy-talks-new-decemberists-album-with-past.html
  21. ↑ http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2008/11/18/in-the-studio-the-decemberists-return-with-fairy-tale-album/
  22. ↑ http://wordsmith.org/anagram/anagram.cgi?anagram=The+Hazards+of+Love&t=61980&a=n
  23. ↑ "Decemberists, The - The Rake's Song (7", Ltd) at Discogs". http://www.discogs.com/Decemberists-The-Rakes-Song/release/1746134. 

Εxternal links

The Decemberists
Jenny Conlee · Chris Funk · Colin Meloy · John Moen · Nate Query
Rachel Blumberg · Jesse Emerson · Petra Haden · Ezra Holbrook · David Langenes
Studio albums
Castaways and Cutouts · Her Majesty the Decemberists · Picaresque · The Crane Wife · The Hazards of Love · The King Is Dead
EPs
5 Songs · The Tain · Picaresqueties · Connect Sets · Live from SoHo
Singles
"Billy Liar" · "Sixteen Military Wives" · "O Valencia!" · "The Perfect Crime #2" · "Valerie Plame" · "Days of Elaine" · "A Record Year for Rainfall"  · "Down by the Water"
Other
The Decemberists: A Practical Handbook · Killingsworth