The Decemberists

The fall of 2003 finds our heady heroes, the Decemberists, in fine health and stature. Having bided their time patiently as the fine Olympians at the pre-eminent indie imprint Kill Rock Stars reissued their debut opus, Castaways and Cutouts, to a nearly universal show of critical enthusiasm, this adorable Portland quintet has yet more manna to offer the discriminating music listener. Namely, a smart little LP entitled “Her Majesty the Decemberists.”

For all intents and purposes, Her Majesty. . . could best be described as the charming older brother to the band’s previous outing. And, while being recognizably related to its sibling predecessor, it is an altogether different beast. Present and accounted for are the Victorian literary tropes, the rakish mariners, and the Dickensian downtrodden that slouched their way across the lazer imprinted surface of Castaways and Cutouts; in Her Majesty the Decemberists, a new cast of characters is introduced as well, giving further depth to the richly bizarre songcraft of the band’s bespectacled leading player, Colin Meloy: an aristocratic Jewess, slumming it blindfolded among the exotic avenues of a Chinese bazaar, the coifed and coked-up bon vivants of greater Los Angeles, the writer Myla Goldberg, and a pair of affectionate soldiers, celebrating their comradery among the mortar blasts and trench mud of World War I Belgium. Musically, the band travels over new territory as well, mining deeper into their Beatlepop influences to create a record that is as lush as it is intricate. Strings soar, glockenspiels chime, and analog synths buzz over what the band considers its finest overture into pop song arrangement, all the while keeping intact the folk-pop instrumentation that has defined the sound of the band since its inception: Mr. Meloy returns on acoustic and electric guitars and singing, Jenny Conlee on accordion and keyboards, Chris Funk on electric guitars and sundry stringed instruments, and newcomers Rachel Blumberg and Jesse Emerson, respectively, contribute their drumming and upright bass playing.

Recorded partially between the hallowed confines of Jackpot! Studios under the storied auspices of producer/engineer Larry Crane (Elliott Smith, Sleater-Kinney, Go-Betweens), and at Portland’s famed Type Foundry studios, “Her Majesty the Decemberists” even further explores the geography that the band began to shape in their debut recording.