The Decemberists - Picaresque

By the time a band reaches its third release, some things have been established. Their debut was obviously good enough to garner some attention, and with a second release, any sophomore jinx was overcome. Now the band is expected to really hone their craft and trim any fat the previous era had, and to that end, The Decemberists are a smashing success. Picaresque is a sweeping vision of an album, rolling onto the shores with freshness, vision, and above all else, an ear for solid songwriting. Although not a concept album, the disc definitely has a thematic feel to it. From the beginning, the stories of the old world and bodies of water build the oceanic theme that fills the disc. Fittingly, the album ebbs and flows beautifully from fast to slow, from upbeat to somber. “The Infanta” opens things up with a rolling drum beat that really provides a nice backbone to the song, while the very catchy and mid-tempo “We Both Go Down Together” slows things down just a bit against a string arrangement that really provides the song with depth. The rest of the disc follows the pattern of the sea. The waves crash with “The Sporting Life,” “16 Military Wives” (the most instantly infectious track on the album), and “On The Bus Mall,” while the more serene moments are provided by the solemn “Eli, The Barrow Boy,” the hauntingly beautiful “For My Own True Love (Lost At Sea),” and the exquisite “The Engine Driver.” The two crown jewels are the two longest tracks on the disc, proving that the band knows when it has a good thing. “The Bagman’s Gambit” starts slow and acoustic, speeding up for the chorus sections; the ebb and flow like a microcosm of the disc. “The Mariner’s Revenge Song” is an old Eastern European feeling epic with a beautifully melodic chorus and a tight balance of male and female vocals to it. The acoustic gem “Of Angels and Angles” caps things off by striping away all excess to reveal the heart of the album. This is one of those rare ambitious discs that succeed on almost every level. The imagery and storytelling that liter the lyrics provide the feeling of watching a play unfold through your earphones. The old world feel of the melodies and stories speak to the universal themes they explore (revenge, love, death, pain). Sometimes in the world of experimentation and vague lyrics, the stories fall through the cracks. It is refreshing to find such a daring disc focus squarely on building upon the stories it tells and using the sounds and feelings it creates to facilitate those tales, and the result is an exquisite album worthy of praise and purchase. [www.decemberists.com]