The Crane Wife

Ally has played the Decemberists so much in the last few months that I have learned to like them. Their songs tell stories in ways that most bands could never dream of ... not only with lyrics, but also with instruments. So, in anticipation of the release of their new album on Tuesday, I downloaded it. The first thing that I noticed is that the production value of a major label has served them well, everything sounds better (especially the singing). But, there was something else different about it that I couldn't quite figure out until halfway through the second track; a 12 and 1/2 minute song consisting of 4 seperately titled and distinctly different songs that flow seamlessly together. Suddenly, a keyboard part that is reminiscent of bands like the Who, Rush and Deep Purple (according to Tim) made me finally realize that this album is more than just a concept album, it is at times very much a progressive rock album. I love prog rock, so this is not a problem ... Ally on the other hand doesn't like prog rock. This makes me curious to see how she accepts this album. Will she love it or hate it? Will it somehow give her an appreciation of bands that are talented enough to use odd time signatures and dissonance to craft songs instead of the usual and often trite 4/4 pop music that most bands try to pass off as talent? Lets hope so! Hooray to the Decemberists, who will hopefully pass some of this new talent to Death Cab for Cutie through Chris Walla (who recorded this album). I like DCFC, but as their production value has become better, their songwriting has become more basic ... the exact opposite of the Decemberists.