Search - Decemberists :: Her Majesty the Decemberists

Meant for Applause, Not For Derision (* * * * 1/4)

Blake Maddux | Arlington, MA United States | 08/27/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Decemberists' debut album Castaways and Cutouts found the band sailing smooth and only somewhat interesting waters. On the follow-up, Her Majesty, the waters are a bit more dramatic. Their ability to coast through them unscathed - in fact, stronger than before - is quite impressive. The storytelling is more profound, the pop songs more plentiful, and the character sketches - be they of daydreamers, gymnasts, soldiers, or chimbley sweeps - more fully developed.



The album begins with the wonderfully sparse and ominous "Shanty For the Arethusa". This is a tale of pirates who have their sights set primarily on the daughters and "dark and nubile" natives of South Australia or whatever their port of call might be. The song's tone is accentuated by Colin Meloy's portentous vocals and the spooky sound effects of creaking doors and pounding footsteps. If the listener were expecting this song to set the tone for the rest of the album, then he or she would justifiably anticipate a bumpy ride.



However, this yarn gives way to the delightful, summery Britpop of "Billy Liar", and then to the 70s adult contemporary-flavored "Los Angeles, I'm Yours". This is already twice as many pop songs as the debut had, and these aren't the only ones. A few songs later comes the uncharacteristic power-pop tune "Song For Myla Goldberg", which even includes some New Wave keyboards.



Despite their prog-rock inclinations, The Decemberists smartly stick to mostly three- and four-minute songs. However, like Castaways and Cutouts, Her Majesty has two songs that are at least seven minutes long. The first of this is "The Gymnast, High Above the Ground", which has singer/songwriter Colin Meloy deep in storyteller mode. The same is true of "The Bachelor and the Bride", the don't ask/don't tell-camaraderie tale "The Soldiering Life" (which features an impressive trumpet fade-out), and the acoustic solo piece "Red Right Ankle", which - despite being the slowest song on the album - actually manages to inspire a bit of toe-tapping. The album kicks back into high gear with "The Chimbley Sweep", which brings back both the accordion from their first album and the sinister guitar of "Shanty For the Arethusa". There is also a brief and very effective inclusion of female vocals in the third verse.



Interestingly, the album doesn't reach its climax until the penultimate song. On the initially modest but ultimately bombastic "I Was Meant for the Stage", Meloy lays himself bare, knowingly declaring, "I was meant for applause/I was meant for derision". This is the second of the long songs on the album, going just past the seven-minute mark. (A couple of years ago, Meloy recorded an EP of Morrissey covers that he sold on tour. Should Moz ever hear this song, he might be tempted to partially return the favor.) Wisely, the album ends with the intentionally poorly-recorded, country-flavored "As I Rise", which calms things down a bit and clocks in at just over two minutes.



Castaways and Cutouts, for all its strengths, felt underdeveloped, failing to deliver any sort of knockout punch. Her Majesty fixes this, and then some. Granted, some (not all) of the mid-tempo numbers slow the album's momentum slightly. But overall, the songs are much more powerful and inspired than before. And those who were annoyed by Meloy's flaunting his huge vocabulary on the first album will be glad to know that he tones down that aspect of his songwriting on this album. Of the four Decemberists albums available as of the writing of this review, Her Majesty is probably the best introduction to this uniquely talented band.

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