January 2011

This is an actual conversation between The Decemberists’ front man Colin Melloy and Americana/Bluegrass songstress Gillian Welch:

Gillian Welch: Hello
Colin Meloy: Hi Gillian. Its Colin.
GW: Ummmm
CM: Meloy. You know from The Decemberists.
GW: Oh hey, how are you?
CM: Good thanks. Hey wanted to see if you wanted to do some guest vocals on our new album.
GW: That is very flattering but I don’t think I could hit some of those notes that Becky and Shara did. That was a great album you guys put out but I don’t think prog rock is my thing.
CM: No, no. We’re going in a completely different direction this time.
GW: Really? Like what.
CM: We’re going to put out an Americana album. Its going to be awesome. We even got the old guy from R.E.M.; Peter Buck. We just need some female vocals. I thought of you and Carrie Underwood. Chris said you’d be better.
GW: OK, I’m in. Wait, did you just say Carrie …
CM: Sounds good. Talk to you soon.

I loved The Decemberists’ previous album, a concept piece called Hazards of Love, more than most. It was an ambitious release that worked, but ambition can be exhausting. It’s refreshing to hear the band regroup and follow up with a straight-forward, twangy Americana album. I almost wept after I heard the lead track “Down By The Water” on the radio. Then I visited their website and saw a picture of them sitting in a field wearing flannel shirts. I think one of them had a piece of grass in their mouth. I was flat out giddy.

The album has lived up to expectations set forth by that picture. The lead track opens with a harmonica and just ambles about. After the first chorus, Gillian joins in and the tune takes on an uplifting feel. I still smile every time when I hear Meloy and Welch hit the following chorus:

And nobody, nobody knows
Let the yolk fall from our shoulders
Don’t carry it all, don’t carry it all
We are all our hands and holders
Beneath this bold and brilliant sun

A couple of songs later, Peter Buck from R.E.M. plays on “Calamity Song” and his jangly guitar is as recognizable as any trademark voice you’d hear. Buck’s guitar sounds wonderful and Meloy even does a nice Michael Stipe impression at 1:45. And lest I forgot, the back-to-back hymns of January and June. They are both gorgeous and really show the band stripped down, letting their immense talent shine without any fuss. With the shitty winter many of us have had, the opening verses of January Hymn really hit home:

On a winter’s Sunday I go
To clear away the snow
And green the ground below

April all an ocean away
Is this the better way to spend the day?
Keeping the winter at bay

I was a little late to The Decemberists, joining the hype machine after Picaresque was released. I’ve since become enamored in their ability to push boundaries and reinvent themselves with a variety of creative motifs for us to enjoy. And as much as I would love for them to make Gillian a permanent member of the band and continue to crank out acoustic Americana, I think I’d be cheating them and more importantly myself. As a fan, they continue to challenge me. That’s right, its all about me.

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