Wednesday, October 15, 2008

“Always the Bridesmaid: A Singles Series.” – Music Review.

By Jason Tanamor

4 ½ Stars:

Decemberists fans anxious for the group’s new LP to come out can soon get their fix with the band’s EP titled, “Always the Bridesmaid: A Singles Series,” a seven song release that will be hitting the web on October 14th, November 4th, and December 2nd. The three volume set, which includes the songs “Valerie Plame,” “O New England,” “Days of Elaine,” “Days of Elaine (Long),” “I'm Sticking With You,” “Record Year for Rainfall,” and “Raincoat Song,” does not disappoint fans of the multi-talented indie/pop band.



“Valerie Plame,” a fun, poppy song about the CIA operative whose cover was blown via a newspaper column written by Robert Novak, told from “the point-of-view of one of Plame’s inside contacts upon discovering her true identity,” is vintage Decemberists in terms of fun and catchy. The band’s pop side resembles another fun band, Barenaked Ladies. Fans of the Ladies will find a nice soulmate with Decemberists. After listening to this song a few times, I found myself singing along with the lyrics. And that’s not a sight you want to see. Be sure to watch “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” on November 3rd for the band’s live performance of this song.

“I'm Sticking With You,” a stage play-like duet with Colin Meloy and Jenny Conlee, starts with a simple piano melody and plays out like a love song over the course of two people sticking together through thick and thin. This is in classic Decemberists fashion.

The rest of the songs follow the folky/pop sound that the Decemberists are known for. It seems that the selection of this EP puts previous albums together, almost as if you can incorporate various songs on “Always the Bridesmaid” into each one of their studio albums. At times I felt as if I were listening to “The Crane Wife” with the song, “I'm Sticking With You,” while other times I felt like I was listening to “Picaresque,” with the song, “Raincoat Song.”



“Always the Bridesmaid: A Singles Series” is an awesome collection of music and Meloy’s storytelling hits on all cylinders once again.

Fans can pre-order the singles on a 12” colored vinyl at www.decemberistsshop.com either in three installments or at once after December 2nd.

Volume I
“Valerie Plame”
“O New England”

Release date: October 14, 2008

Volume II
“Days of Elaine”
“Days of Elaine” (long)
“I’m Sticking With You”

Release date: November 4, 2008

Volume III
“Record Year”
“Raincoat Song”

Release date: December 2, 2008

Decemberists enthusiasts can also see the band live beginning November 5th.

11-05 New York, NY - Terminal 5
11-06 Boston, MA - The Orpheum
11-07 Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory
11-08 Baltimore, MD - Ram’s Head Live
11-09 Ithaca, NY - Cornell University, Barton Hall
11-11 Montclair, NJ - Wellmont Theatre
11-24 Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern
11-25 San Francisco, CA - Warfield Theatre
11-29 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
11-30 Seattle, WA - The Moore Theatre



BYLINE:

Jason Tanamor is the Editor of Zoiks! Online. He is also the author of the novels, "Hello Lesbian!" and "Anonymous."

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