The Album starts out BIG with The Infanta. This song is really epic, not in the sense that it's a good song (Although it is very good!) But it just sounds very epic. Like... Damn... Um... Ooh! Like a war scene in Lord of the Rings. Epic like that. Not to say it reminds me of a Lord of the Rings fight scene.. But it does now... This metaphor really isn't going anywhere. I hope you know what I'm saying cuz I sure as hell don't.
The Hammered Organ in this song is very out of the ordinary for a song like this, but it's quite cool. It fits well.
And at around the 3 Minute Mark there's a key change and it goes into only 1 guitar strum per barre and 2 voices (Male and Female.) I love how well everything harmonises in this part of the song.
The lyrics in this album have brilliant wording and I love the lead singers rather unorthodox voice. Even though he pronounces almost every vowel like it has an umlaut. It isn't bad or annoying but kinda funny and it adds something. One song that really shows off the lyrics in this album is Track 2, We All Go Down Together.The thing I really love about the lyrics of this song is how simple they are. It's simple in the sense that a nursery rhyme would be simple with an AA BB CC etc. rhyming pattern. It's great! The instrumentals in this song and the whole album for that matter are brilliantly thought out, no song sounds the same and every instrument has it's place. I especially love when the lyrics go,
"Meet me on my Vast Veranda
My Sweet untouched Miranda."
A) because I think it's a good line and it's BRILLIANTLY simple and B) I love the drum beat at the end of each barre. It sounds kinda like cannon fire or something.
There is ONE thing I dislike about this album and this is possibly the ONLY thing I dislike. An album is supposed to be an experience. Like a ride, it has it's ups and downs in mood and for the first 3 songs, the ride is brilliant and it perfectly describes the point I'm trying to make, but Track 4 The Sporting Life is a huge jump from the morbidness of Track 3, Eli, the Barrow Boy to this super happy major key song. It just doesn't flow very well. This is especially annoying because Eli is my favourite song on the album and because The Sporting Life hits so hard it kills the atmosphere that Eli had created. But The Sporting Life is really good none the less.
In Track 5, The Bagmans Gambit, there is a brilliant crescendo that cuts out around the 6:30 mark and it's brilliantly done but it's been done before! Dear Reader and The Mars Volta are only two that come to mind, but it's still done well.
Track 10, The Mariners Revenge is an amazing folksy song. It reminds me of Misery by Green Day however it's better because you can't really take Misery seriously. But this song has Accordion and Mandolin and therefore it is, "Chocked full of win" to quote one of my friends. Tsk tsk, you know who you are.
This album is a great little Indie gem and if you haven't heard it yet DEFINITELY check it out! Listen to it and fall in love with it like I did.
Here's a link to The Decemberists- Picaresque on Grooveshark.com Go check it out and tell me what you think! You can leave a comment, tweet me @Xtianzzyzx or email me at xtianzzyzx@gmail.com. You can also recommend me an album or ask me to review something!
Finally, please can you guys all go to www.sosbrunodebbie.co.za. Bruno Pelizzari and Debbie Calitz were kidnapped by Somalian Pirates in October last year and a ransom of US $4 million (ZA R28-million) has been demanded by their captors. I know that their families would love to see them safe again but they are unable to pay this sum. So please go to www.sosbrunodebbie.co.za and make a donation! Ontop of that, for every new follower Plug in Your Head gets between now and their safe return I will contribute R10. If everyone works together we can bring them home.
I'll be back next week with another Recommendation, so until then, Turn Up the Volume and Plug in Your Head!
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