(Vinyl Love is a series of posts that quite simply lists, describes, and displays the pieces in my growing vinyl collection. You can bet that each record was given a spin during the drafting of each corresponding post.)
Artist: The Decemberists Album Title: Her majesty The Decemberists Year released: 2003 Year reissued: 2008 Details: 180 gram, black vinyl
The skinny: Happy Monday all! It’s the last one of the month and it seems like as good a time as any to talk up the final Decemberists piece in my vinyl collection (for the time being). The indie folk stalwarts released their sophomore album, “Her majesty” back in 2003 and frontman Colin Meloy was truly at his literate and dramatic best. Just have a peek at the bonus short story included on the liner sleeve of this 2008 re-pressing by Kill Rock Stars. Yeah, you know that I still recommend these guys to anyone for an appreciation for the written word.
(Vinyl Love is a series of posts that quite simply lists, describes, and displays the pieces in my growing vinyl collection. You can bet that each record was given a spin during the drafting of each corresponding post.)
Artist: The Decemberists Album Title: The tain / 5 songs Year released: 2004 Year reissued: 2008 Details: 180 gram, black vinyl
The skinny: …And speaking of The Decemberists… In 2004, a year before releasing their final indie album, “Picaresque”, The Decemberists released an EP that was just one long 18 minute song, albeit in five parts, that took for its subject a Celtic myth. A few years later this EP was coupled with their first ever EP, 2001’s “Five songs”, and released on 12” vinyl, an EP on each side. I found a copy of this compilation pressed to 180 gram vinyl on one of my many trips to Vertigo records and couldn’t not buy it. If you’ve got twenty minutes to burn, have a listen and watch of the video below. It’s good stuff.
(I got the idea for this series while sifting through the ‘piles’ of digital photos on my laptop. It occurred to me to share some of these great pics from some of my favourite concert sets from time to time. Until I get around to the next one, I invite you to peruse my ever-growing list of concerts page.)
The Decemberists, live at Bluesfest 2016
Artist: The Decemberists When: July 13th, 2016 Where: Claridge stage, Ottawa Bluesfest, Lebreton Flats Park, Ottawa Context: Back in 2005, I convinced my wife to squeeze in a concert by a band I had recently gotten into on our spring trip in to Toronto to visit her mother. That show by The Decemberists at The Phoenix Concert Theatre would end up being one of Victoria’s favourite concerts, despite having only heard a handful of their songs beforehand, and it goes without saying it was high up on my list as well. It would be just over a decade before I got to see them again live (though I did catch a Colin Meloy on a solo set in the interim). The lineup had changed some in the years since and the band had also since jumped to a major label and gained a much wider audience. The quality of their music, however, has never wavered, nor has their live show. In fact, both of the shows in question ended with the very same song, “The mariner’s revenge song”, and included the requisite audience participation, though the latter show involved some props (see last photo). Being on a major comes with bigger budgets, right? Point of reference song: “Make you better”
Nate Query of The Decemberists rocking the bassJohn Moen of The Decemberists (and the various stage props)Colin Meloy of The DecemberistsJenny Conlee of The DecemberistsChris Funk of The DecemberistsJohn Moen and Colin Meloy of The DecemberistsNate Query on the uprightChris Funk of The Decemberists on banjoJenny Conlee on the accordionColin Meloy and his shiny guitarThe Decemberists being swallowed by a giant whale