Five Things-The Decemberists

Written By Jessica Bartram

It’s no surprise that a band named after a relatively obscure Russian revolt (the Decembrists Revolt of 1825 - thanks, Wikipedia) would aim for something beyond the ordinary, but The Decemberists hit the mark every time. Their songs are often modeled after sea shanties inspired by Japanese folk tales or creepy fables and their albums akin to a piece of literature, dense and full of fascinating tales. Since the band has a new album coming out in March, I’ve compiled a list of my personal top five, all time favourite Decemberists songs (though I could easily do a top ten, maybe even a top twenty), listed in no particular order.

1. “Red Right Ankle” (from Her Majesty) - Have you ever been at a concert and heard a song you’d thought you’d listened to many times, but realized as the band played it live that you’d never really heard it? That’s what happened to me with ‘Red Right Ankle’. When lead singer Colin Meloy sang, “this is the story of your red right ankle and how it came to meet your leg, and how the muscle, bone, and sinews tangled, and how the skin was softly shed,” I wondered how I’d never noticed this beautiful little song before. It’s got a pretty acoustic guitar, but, in true Decemberists style, the lyrics are actually kind of sinister, giving it more clout than you’d expect from the melody alone.

2. “The Mariner’s Revenge Song” (from Picaresque) - Where do I start? This song can be described in so many ways - violent. macabre, completely insane - and none of them quite do it justice. The 8 minutes and 46 seconds of ‘Mariner’s Revenge Song’ play out as an epic tale of death, despair, seething revenge, and, of course, whales. I don’t want to spoil the unspooling of the crazy narrative, but let me just add that the music itself is full-on sea shanty. Trust me - you need to add this song to your list of things to hear before you die.

3. “The Crane Wife 1 & 2” (from The Crane Wife) - The Crane Wife is partially a concept album centered around the Japanese folk tale of the crane wife, in which a man rescues an injured crane then mysteriously meets and marries a beautiful woman who weaves majestic silk. She forces him to promise never to look at her while she’s weaving the fabric, but of course his curiosity overwhelms him and it turns out she is the crane he rescued and she flies away, never to be seen again. This tale is woven into a gorgeous song in “The Crane Wife 1 & 2”, accompanied by simple acoustic guitar and subtle drumming, bringing the story to life in the most beautiful way.

4. “A Cautionary Song” (from Castaways and Cutouts) - This song’s got sea shanty tune and boasts even more violence than ‘Mariner’s Revenge’, telling a tale that’s hard to stomach, especially with the dire punchline at the end of the song. ‘A Cautionary Song’ owes a debt to Victorian morality tales, where children were warned not to do such things as steal food or pick their noses for fear of a painful and imminent death. This song creeps ominously along, outlining the plight of a poor mother who must sell her body to sailors to afford food for her ungrateful offspring. The song’s tension builds until Meloy sings, “so be kind to your mother, though she may seem an awful mother, and the next time she tries to feed you collard greens, remember what she does when you’re asleep.” Not the most pleasant story, but it shows The Decemberists’ mastery of dark humour and provides quite a conversation piece when you play it at a party.

5. “Culling of the Fold” (b-side from The Crane Wife) - This song might never have been a part of this list had I not seen the band live on their Crane Wife tour, as it was not included on the album itself. I suppose I understand the omission, but I highly recommend obtaining this song, as it’s another one of those darkly humorous romps that The Decemberists do so damn well. Accompanied by klezmer-esque tunes, Meloy sings about a series of murders, all meant to ‘cull the fold’. It’s like listening to the inner monologue of a serial murderer, except with better music and an unshakably catchy chorus.