Thursday, June 25, 2009

Album of Yesterday

Colin Meloy Sings Live!, by Colin Meloy (2008): One of the things that grabbed me about The Decemberists when I first heard them were the stories and characters that are present in so many songs. I love those kinds of lyrics, when done well, so I tend to really like this live disc, in which the band's frontman/songwriter goes it alone up on stage. With just his guitar and his voice (augmented by a sheep, a skull, and a ship, as somewhat explained in due course), the songs are stripped of their generally lavish arrangements and distilled to the barest essence. In many cases, "We Both Go Down Together" and "On the Bus Mall" in particular, the results are excellent. That being said, it is just Colin and his guitar, so if his voice doesn't do it for you and you need the full band sound, look elsewhere.

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meditation said...
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