About Opentopia
Opentopia Directory Encyclopedia Tools

The Decemberists

Encyclopedia : T : TH : THE : The Decemberists

This article is about the Portland, Oregon based band The Decemberists. See Decembrist Revolt for the failed revolt against Tsar Nicholas I of Russia in December 1825.

The Decemberists are a five-piece indie pop band from Portland, Oregon, fronted by singer/songwriter Colin Meloy. They self-released their debut EP in 2001 and their fourth record, The Crane Wife, is due out in October of 2006.

Contents

Overview

Named both in reference to the Russian Decembrist Revolt and the atmosphere associated with the month of December[link], the Decemberists write songs that range from upbeat pop to instrumentally lush ballads, and often employ instruments like the accordion and upright bass. In their lyrics, they eschew the angst and introspection common to modern rock, instead favoring a storytelling approach with lines like "My mother was a Chinese trapeze artist / In pre-war Paris / Smuggling bombs for the underground" (from "My Mother Was a Chinese Trapeze Artist", on 5 Songs) and "We are two mariners / Our ships' sole survivors / In this belly of a whale / Its ribs are ceiling beams / Its guts are carpeting / I guess we have some time to kill" ("The Mariner's Revenge Song", from Picaresque). Their songs convey tales ranging from whimsical ("Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect") to epic ("The Tain") to truly dark ("Odalisque"). They often invoke historical events and themes from around the world. Early in their career, The Decemberists' musical, vocal, and lyrical aesthetics frequently prompted critics to compare them to Neutral Milk Hotel.

History

In March 2005, the Decemberists were reportedly the first band to distribute a music video via BitTorrent [link] -- the self-produced 16 Military Wives (from Picaresque). That same month, the band's equipment trailer was stolen; fans contributed to a replacement fund, and another fund-raiser was organized via eBay auction, bidding copies of Colin Meloy Sings Morrissey and original art work by Carson Ellis. They also received help from Lea Krueger, 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 a trailer in Clackamas, Oregon missing the instruments and equipment, and a great deal of the band's merchandise. [link]

On their website, The Decemberists claim that their official drink is Orangina, and that bands they adore include Norfolk and Western, The Places, The Long Winters, Death Cab for Cutie, Tracker, Sleater-Kinney, Electrelane, Camera Obscura, Clearlake, Tom Heinl, The Thermals, The Swords Project, and Earlimart. Their official biography, keeping up their reputation for intentionally over-the-top , describes how the band's members met in a Turkish bath. A footnote following the biography claims, "The Decemberists travel exclusively by Dr. Herring's Brand® Dirigible Balloons."

On December 12, 2005, Meloy revealed to Pitchfork Media that they have signed to Capitol Records, and plan to begin recording their major label debut with producers Tucker Martine and Chris Walla in April of 2006. [link]

The Decemberists' next album The Crane Wife, their major label debut, will be released October 3, 2006.

Current members

Former members

Discography

Albums

Singles

References

Εxternal links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
[media]

 

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.

Search Titles
0123456789
ABCDEFGHIJ
KLMNOPQRST
UVWXYZ?

E-mail this article to:

Personal Message: