The Decemberists - The Crane Wife (10th Anniversary Edition) (2016)
Artist: The Decemberists
Title: The Crane Wife (10th Anniversary Edition)
Year Of Release: 2016
Label: Capitol Records
Genre: Indie Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Folk
Quality: FLAC (tracks)
Total Time: 192:03 min
Total Size: 1,12 GB
WebSite: Album Preview
Tracklist:Title: The Crane Wife (10th Anniversary Edition)
Year Of Release: 2016
Label: Capitol Records
Genre: Indie Rock, Indie Pop, Indie Folk
Quality: FLAC (tracks)
Total Time: 192:03 min
Total Size: 1,12 GB
WebSite: Album Preview
01. The Crane Wife 3
02. The Island: Come And See/The Landlord's Daughter/You'll Not Feel The Drowning (Medley)
03. Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then)
04. O Valencia! º
05. The Perfect Crime #2
06. When The War Came
07. Shankill Butchers
08. Summersong
09. The Crane Wife 1 & 2
10. Sons & Daughters
11. After The Bombs
12. Culling Of The Fold
13. Hurdles Even Here
14. The Perfect Crime #1/The Day I Knew You'd Not Come Back (Medley)
15. After The Bombs (Early Take)
16. Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then) (Alternate Take)
17. Culling Of The Fold (Alternate Take)
18. Hurdles Even Here (Full Band Take)
19. The Perfect Crime #2 (Early Take)
20. The Island: Come And See/The Landlord's Daughter/You'll Not Feel The Drowning (Medley / Home Demo)
21. O Valencia! (Home Demo)
22. The Perfect Crime #2 (Home Demo)
23. Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then) (Home Demo)
24. The Capp Street Girls (Home Demo)
25. Culling Of The Fold (Home Demo)
26. Hurdles Even Here (Home Demo)
27. Shankill Butchers (Home Demo)
28. Summersong (Home Demo)
29. The Day I Knew You'd Not Come Back (Home Demo)
30. The Perfect Crime #1 (Home Demo)
31. The Crane Wife 1, 2 & 3 (Home Demo)
32. Sons & Daughters (Home Demo)
Capitol raised a few eyebrows when they signed indie stalwarts the Decemberists. There's nothing blatantly commercial about the Portland quintet, from Colin Meloy's quavery voice and hyper-literate lyrics to the band's wide-ranging music, which encompasses baroque pop, prog rock, and dozens of other styles. Then again, he did once sing, "I was made for the stage," and those who've seen the group live know this to be true. Sure, they're storytellers, but they're entertainers, too--just not in the Top 40 sense. Never ones to play it safe, their major label debut takes its inspiration from a Japanese folk tale. It travels from the Replacements-style balladry of "The Crane Wife 3"--which joins words like "Each feather it fell from skin/'Til threadbare while she grew thin" to the melody from "Here Comes a Regular"--to the ELP hoedown of three-part epic "The Island" to the haunting duet between Meloy and Laura Veirs on "Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then)." It's an impressively eclectic effort that somehow manages to avoid sounding scattered. Co-produced by Chris Walla (Death Cab for Cutie) and Tucker Martine (the Long Winters), the Decemberists' fourth full-length is richer, less immediately catchy than its predecessor (there's nothing as bouncy here as Picaresque's "Sixteen Military Wives"). It's also a deeper work that resists snap judgments. Some records hit you over the head with their brilliance, others need time to percolate. Time will tell if The Crane Wife is the Decemberists' best album--it's certainly their most ambitious so far. --Kathleen C. Fennessy.