But I am not swayed. The Decemberists can best be described as a poppier/happier "Sixteen Horsepower". And that comparison will only help the small number of people who have heard that band. The Decemberists have a little bit of a country feel, playing a lot of instruments, but never letting the music feel dense. They feature male and female vocals, but the male vocals are a little on the whiny side, which is probably what turns most people off. But if you continue to listen, you will be rewarded with an incredible album. Stand-out tracks include "The Engine Driver" and "On The Bus Mall". Strongly recommended.
Seriously.
The first time I heard this CD, I thought that it was Patrick singing vocals, and it took quite awhile for me to be able to tell the difference.
Vocal similarities aside, P!ATD is also similar to FOB musically and lyrically. The only differences is that P!ATD uses more electronics, no screaming, and (if you can believe this) are actually more poppier than Fall Out Boy.
So poppy, in fact, that this album has been stuck in my head for weeks. This album is so good, that Kevin and I have started predicting the death of Fall Out Boy, as they are supplanted by their younger, poppier, and more westerly competitors, Panic! At The Disco. If you are in a hurry, check out the tracks "I write sins not tragedies" and "Time To Dance". Recommended.
Never-mind that this album is really targeted towards the high school crowd: it's good. In fact, I have been quite surprised by how much I am listening to this album. Recommended (if you don't mind the stigma of saying that you listen to MyChem). :)
Technorati Tags: Panic! At The Disco, Fall Out Boy, Minus The Bear, Death Cab For Cutie, Rilo Kiley, The Decemberists, My Chemical Romance, Feersum Ennjin, Tool, Lusk
Posted by andyr at January 2, 2006 11:25 PMThe Decemberists are fantastic, I started listening to "Castaways & Cutouts" and "Her Majesty, The Decemberists" after seeing them open for The Pixies in '04. I got "Picaresque" the day it hit iTMS, and oddly enough the track names on my files are wrong. It's also nice that being a Portland band, when they're not on the road Colin Meloy likes to do solo shows here.
You should check out Neutral Milk Hotel, which I only did after reading a bunch of Decemberists reviews that kept comparing the two bands. 1998's "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea" is amazing.
I saw Minus the Bear this summer, and I liked it but I haven't really listened to any of their albums. Deathcab never impressed me much, I find the lyrics to be overly repetitive (he just keeps saying the same phrase over and over).
Other '05 albums that I've been listening to a lot are The Arcade Fire's "Funeral," and The White Stripes "Get Behind Me Satan."
The Calexico / Iron and Wine live show was one of the best I saw last year, but I haven't listened to "In the Reins" as much as I thought I would.
Posted by: Chris at January 5, 2006 03:55 PMHey Chris,
You made the "hard sell" for Neutral Milk Hotel when we were in NYC, and I liked what I heard, but didn't take any action. But I've been seeing a lot of references to them lately, and you have pushed me over the edge -- I just orded my copy of "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea" from Amazon.
:)
-Andy.
Posted by: Andrew Reitz at January 7, 2006 11:11 PMNote-to-self: Here is a cool website for tracking bands that are coming to town:
http://sonicliving.com/tour
-Andy.
Posted by: Andy Reitz at January 10, 2006 08:18 PM