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intereact!The Decemberists
Retail Price (not our price): $15.98
Release Date: 2003-09-09
Manufacturer: Kill Rock Stars
Format: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Track List
Now here, for your listening pleasure, the tracks...
| Disc 1 |
Editorial Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):
1) Album Description
"On [Her Majesty], the whimsy and multicolored narrative threads that represented the best of the Decemberists' terrific first album are given room to breathe." -- Magnet For all intents and purposes, Her Majesty is best described as the charming older brother to the band's previous outing. And, while being recognizably related to its sibling, it is an altogether different beast. Present and accounted for are the Victorian literary tropes, the rakish mariners, and the Dickensian downtrodden that slouched their way across the laser imprinted surface of Castaways and Cutouts. But on Her Majesty, a new cast of characters is introduced, giving further depth to the richly bizarre songcraft of the band's bespectacled leading player, Colin Meloy: an aristocratic Jewess slumming it blindfolded among the exotic avenues of a Chinese bazaar, the coifed and coked-up bon vivants of greater Los Angeles, the writer Myla Goldberg, and a pair of affectionate soldiers celebrating their camaraderie among the mortar blasts and trench mud of WWI Belgium. Musically, the band travels over new territory as well, mining deeper into their Beatle-pop influences to create a record that is as lush as it is intricate.2) Amazon.com
Failing students have had such an influential role in shaping rock & roll that it's easy to give the bookworm segment short shrift. Witness the vital contributions from the likes of Ray Davies, the Zombies, and Neutral Milk Hotel's Jeff Magnum--the kind of smartypants songwriters with whom the Decemberists' Colin Meloy is often compared. The second full-length CD from Portland, Oregon's Decemberists certainly posits Meloy near the top of the current crop of literate indie rockers. Meloy is the brother of author Maile Meloy and a fellow whom one concludes has his own well-worn library card. Eschewing conventional pop-song subject matter, he delves deep into the past for his narratives and even his lexicon, witness "Shanty for the Arethusa," the high-seas opener, and "The Chimbley Sweep," which recalls the Zombies' similarly dark-hued "Butcher's Tale." Though the subject matter is frequently dire and the approach is lyrically erudite, one shouldn't conclude that listening to Her Majesty is the aural equivalent of wading through some dusty tome. Bright pop melodies, smart arrangements, and Meloy's commanding vocals adorn songs that are as inviting as they are astute and evocative. --Steven Stolder
Customer Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):
Average Customer Rating: 4.0 out of 5
1) Really freakin' good. [Rating: 5 out of 5]
This album is great. It's full of emotion and it's great to both relax to or put on at a low key get together.2) Exotic Shanty Tunes and a Little Thing Called "TRUST" [Rating: 4 out of 5]
I'll confess to having been a little trepidatious in giving HER MAJESTY a spin. After having heard the glorious success of CASTAWAYS AND CUTOUTS, this second Decemberists' disc seemed ripe for a sophomore jinx. And after listening to the lead track, the almost willfully obtuse "Shanty for the Arethusa," I was not encouraged.Thankfully, "Shanty" did not prove to be a representative sample of HER MAJESTY's quality. The Portland (yay!) band's charm and talent came through convincingly on the majority of this album's material, though it's also true that this is a project that did not immediately seduce me as the band's earlier work did. But working a little to appreciate less accessible material is hardly daunting when the band is this talented. The listener knows that there is going to be a payoff; I guess that's a magical little bond called "trust" which the Decemberists' have now earned from me.For pop music fans who read Dickens, or enjoy exotic shanty tunes with prominent accordion and organ parts... or for those of you who can enjoy a wry and lovely ode to a lover's ankle, HER MAJESTY is for you.3) Your day will come, indeed [Rating: 4 out of 5]
Ah, to soar with the whirlwind love affair that is a Decemberists album... it's certainly something else. Indie to the last accordion, Colin Meloy and his motley band of maudlin musicians set out to top their phenomenal CASTAWAYS AND CUTOUTS - without success, I'm afraid, but that doesn't mean that this isn't worth a listen every bit as much as its predecessor is, because it is! This album marks the milestone of that nail-biter that is the sophomore record - will it slump? Impale itself on the swords of music critics everywhere, wither away and die in the back of the CD racks at Sam Goody? Or will it shine? Actually, HER MAJESTY is my beacon at sea.Mellow acoustics, accordions, keyboards, and even the occasional trumpet are embroidered into the eleven songs you see here, with the sturdy spine of drums that keep the musical body standing straight up. Nothing new here, really. Meloy still dazzles in storytelling and words that sixty percent of America's population will never use in their lifetime, but that's the roguish charm of it all. And he's getting better at his craft, evolving with his bandmates at a comfortable and exciting pace: the rat-a-tat drumbeat of "Song For Myla Goldberg," the head-bobbing, insanely catchy "Billy Liar," the almost country-ish, drawling "As I Rise."There's just something about HER MAJESTY that doesn't quite measure up to the last one - I couldn't tell you what, because everything the Decemberists have put out generally sounds the same (that's not to say they don't try something different every now and then, however); the lyrics and music retain the same friendly companionship that makes this band an easy and absorbing listen, the same instruments are used... but I would consider this as your second outing if you have just delved into the world of the Decemberists. CASTAWAYS AND CUTOUTS remains untouched and perhaps unable to be topped as well - and heck, let's keep it that way. Don't judge, just listen. Your ears will thank you for it.4) To all the people who bash this record... [Rating: 5 out of 5]
Aren't we all but the sums of our influences? Not listening to these guys because Neutral Milk Hotel "already did it" is stupid. You might as well not listen to Willie Nelson because Johnny Cash "already did it."Make it a draw and buy this album AND Neutral Milk Hotel. Listen to them both and be amazed.5) differences [Rating: 5 out of 5]
well, to the two reviewers below me:a) it is pretty obvious red right ankle is a reference to nick cave, don't you consider? so that it is similar should come as no surprise given the fact that they admit it themselves.b) the decemberists, yes, they are very similar to Neutral Milk Hotel, but i don't see myself showing off a banner that states the Decemberists created a new genre and NMH didn't..., nobody has said so, so if you are angry because the sounds are alike, it's your problem, not an excuse to dismiss the band. there are very basic differences between both, by the way.i'm sick of the i'm-indier-than-thou, u indier-than-thou person. i'm just pretty tired of some reviewers and of other reviewers who come to complain about those.