The Decemberists
Picaresque
(Kill Rock Stars)
“Purloined in Petrograd”? You may find yourself consulting Webster’s when it comes to Colin Meloy’s esoteric folk-pop narratives, but don’t be fooled by such dainty flights of verbosity. The polemical venom of “16 Military Wives” cheerfully bounces along to a la-de-da chorus while “The Engine Driver” uses male and female harmonies to a delicately plaintive effect. The Decemberists have confirmed they are head and shoulders above the rest. Or would “multitudes” be more appropriate?
—Todd Chapman
This article appears in Dec 6-12, 2007.
