I have always been a fan of the mix, but my listening primarily revolved around listening to albums, but once I got an iPod and downloaded all my CDs my album days were over. Now I almost exclusively listen to my music library on random - or at best a playlist consisting of my 4 and 5 star rated songs. I still buy CDs, and will give the whole CD a spin or two, but mostly that's just to rate the songs on it so they can be smart playlisted.
Since buying Picaresque about 2 weeks ago, I think I've listened to the entire album at least 10 times. I think this is the most I have listened to a single album in its entirety in the last 18 months.
What has compelled me to keep playing Picaresque? With about 3000 songs at my disposal why I am choosing these same 11 songs over and over again?
At the most basic level, it’s just a damn catchy album. But there are lots of damn catchy albums that I'm not listening to all the time. What makes Picaresque more than just a damn catchy album is that the poppy tunes are layered over rich lyrics and intricate story lines. The Decemberists are known for their theatrically-minded songs often revolving around maritime, sea-faring, Victorian European-esque themes. When my brother played me a song he'd written about wandering gypsies, my immediate reaction was, "That sounds like it could be a Decemberists song" and played him "A Cautionary Song" from Castaways and Cutouts. Picaresque also maintains this theme (especially in "The Mariner's Revenge Song", which is one of my favorites on the album). However, as has been noted in most reviews of this album, Picaresque deals with a number of modern themes, particularly (as most everyone who has heard the album has noted) "Sixteen Military Wives", clearly an anti-war protest song. However, despite tackling more modern themes, the album maintains its sound.
I've always felt that The Decemberists were sort of old-worldly in a hip rock and roll sort of way. I think I had this impression before I saw them live on New Year's Eve 2003, all decked out in 1920's style tuxedos and dresses (the drummer and keyboardist/accordionist are both female) with their bassist playing a stand-up bass rather than a rock and roll electric bass. However, in listening to past Decemberists albums, I've had a hard time putting my finger on the definitive aspect of their sound that gives them this "old-worldly" feel. Obviously the subject matter of many of their songs drives this impression, but I was struck that even when singing about "modern themes" they maintained this sound. I think I've finally got my finger on it.
First, most Decemberists songs are instrumentally thick. The addition of keyboards and accordion to most songs adds unique dimensions, especially the accordion whose sound is lacking in most other modern pop-rock bands. Secondly, lyrics show evidence that Colin Meloy, the bands frontman and songwriter, clearly scored really high on his SAT Verbal portion. The language is reminiscent of late 19th fiction and poetry with lines like "Below the tamaracks he is crying, 'Corncobs and candle wax for buying!" This romantic language populates even the "modern" themes. For example, the espionage themed romance "The Bagman's Gambit" includes, "And for a tryst in the greenery I gave you documents and microfilm too."
What this album does best is supplant these poetic versus of wayfaring sailors, child kings, forbidden lovers, academics, and athletic failures on top of poppy tunes that make you want to keep listening, even if you have no idea what "Picaresque" means. It is able to be unpretentious; it is intellectual while at the same time completely accessible.
And it's a damn catchy album.
(By the way, I had no idea what picaresque meant either, so I looked it up)
pic•a•resque
adj.
1. Of or involving clever rogues or adventurers.
2. Of or relating to a genre of usually satiric prose fiction originating in Spain and depicting in realistic, often humorous detail the adventures of a roguish hero of low social degree living by his or her wits in a corrupt society.