Named both in reference to the Russian Decembrist Revolt (they use the national anthem of the Soviet Union as an introduction at many concerts) and to the atmosphere associated with the month of December, the Decemberists write songs that range from upbeat pop to instrumentally lush ballads. They often employ instruments like the accordion, Hammond organ, Wurlitzer organ, and upright bass. In their lyrics, they eschew the angst and introspection common to modern rock, instead favoring a storytelling approach, as evidenced in songs such as "My Mother Was a Chinese Trapeze Artist" from the 5 Songs EP and "The Mariner's Revenge Song" on Picaresque. Their songs convey tales ranging from whimsical ("Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect") to epic ("The Tain") to truly dark ("Odalisque"). They often invoke historical events and themes from around the world. Early in their career, The Decemberists' musical and lyrical aesthetics frequently prompted critics to compare them to Neutral Milk Hotel. Since their debut, their sound has undergone a consistent evolution, most notably in the direction of progressive rock with a strong folk influence, though they have also been described as indie rock and, by Stephen Colbert, as "hyper-literate prog rock." For example, one song, "When the War Came", uses a little-known story from the Siege of Leningrad to describe the heroism of civilian scientists during warfare. The lyrics state: "We made our oath to Vavilov / We'd not betray the solanum / The acres of asteraceae / To our own pangs of starvation". Nikolai Ivanovich Vavilov was a Russian botanist whose laboratory, a seedbank containing 200,000 types of plant seeds, many of them edible, was preserved throughout the siege, during which hundreds of thousands of people died.
In March 2005, the Decemberists were reportedly the first band to distribute a music video via BitTorrent -- the self-produced "16 Military Wives" (from Picaresque). That same month, the band's equipment trailer was stolen; fans contributed to a replacement fund, and another fund-raiser was organized via an eBay auction, with buyers bidding for copies of Colin Meloy Sings Morrissey and original art work by Carson Ellis. They also received help from Lee Kruger, The Shins, The Dandy Warhols and other musicians. The Martin Guitar Company offered six- and twelve-string guitars on permanent loan. In early April, police discovered the trailer in Clackamas, Oregon, and a fair amount of the band's merchandise, but the instruments and equipment were not recovered.
On 12 December 2005, Meloy revealed to Pitchfork Media that they had signed to Capitol Records, and planned to begin recording their major label debut with producers Tucker Martine and Chris Walla, of Death Cab for Cutie fame, in April 2006. The Decemberists' first album on Capitol, and their first major label debut, The Crane Wife, was released on 3 October 2006. The release was accompanied by an appearance the same day on the world-wide syndicated TV talk show Late Night with Conan O'Brien when the track "O Valencia!" was performed. The Decemberists began their tour in support of The Crane Wife, with The Rout of the Patagons Tour, on 17 October 2006, at Portland, Oregon's Crystal Ballroom. Their opening act was Lavender Diamond. Later on in the tour, Alasdair Roberts opened for the band.
In July 2007 the Decemberists set out on a five-date tour with a full orchestral accompaniment. On 7 July, the tour put the group on the stage of the historic Hollywood Bowl for the first time in their career, and they were joined by the Los Angeles Philharmonic. On 15 July the group performed with The Mann Festival Orchestra at The Mann Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They then played a free concert in Chicago, Ilinois, at the recently developed Millennium Park with the Grant Park Symphony Orchestra. In September 2007 they also played at Austin City Limits Music Festival in Austin, Texas.
In October 2007, they began The Long and Short of It Tour. However, having completed the European portion of the tour and immediately after playing the Chicago dates, the rest of the tour was canceled due to illness.
On 24 March 2009, the band released The Hazards of Love, their fifth album. The album's first single, "The Rake's Song", was made available for free on the band's website. The album featured guest appearances from My Brightest Diamond, Becky Stark of Lavender Diamond, Robyn Hitchcock and Jim James. The album peaked at #14 on the Billboard 200.
On 11 January 2011, the band released their sixth album The King is Dead. The band released the first single "Down by the Water" for free on their website. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart in the United States and is the highest charting album in the band's career. The second single, "This Is Why We Fight" was released on January 25, 2011.
There is another band with the same name:
(2). The Decemberists formed in Liverpool in 1984 when Andy Ford and Tom Gent from Swim Naked hooked up with Colin Pennington, who had just left The Tunnel Users. They played their first show at The Cavern in 1985 and then played extensively in their home city. After recording demo tapes which attracted attention from BBC Radio 1's John Peel and Rough Trade Records, they secured a residency at University Of London Union (ULU). Their first release was James Is (Still The Same) on the Discreet Campaigns compilation cassette tape alongside New Order and Cocteau Twins. After the appearance of Gift Horse on the Ways To Wear Coats compilation LP in 1987, the band changed their name to Hellfire Sermons.
James Is (Still The Same) was included on The Sound Of Leamington Spa Volume 6 in 2009. They are listed as βThe Decemberists Of Liverpool 1985-87β on this album to make a distinction from the famous 21st century group of the same name.
July July!
The Decemberists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That goes to my house
And how it green grows there
And we've got special boots
To beat the path to my house
And it's careful and it's careful when I'm there
And I say your uncle was a crooked french Canadian
And how his guts were all suspended in his fingers
And how he held 'em
How he held 'em held, 'em in
And the water rolls down the drain, the water rolls down the drain,
Oh what a lonely thing! in a lonely drain!
July, July, July! never seemed so strange
This is the story of the road that goes to my house
And what ghosts there do remain
And all the troughs that run the length and breadth of my house
And the chickens how they rattle chicken chains
And we'll remember this when we are old and ancient
Though the specifics might be vague
And I'll say your camisole was sprightly light magenta
When in fact it was a nappy blueish grey
And the water rolls down the drain
The blood rolls down the drain
Oh what a lonely thing
In a blood red drain
July, July, July! it never seemed so strange
The Decemberistsβ song βJuly, July!β tells a story of a road leading to the singerβs house and the memories and ghosts that haunt it. The song opens with a description of the road and how it is surrounded by lush greenery. The singer then introduces the idea of special boots needed to beat a path to their house, possibly indicating a sense of isolation or distance from others. The line βAnd itβs careful and itβs careful when Iβm thereβ creates a sense of unease, suggesting that there may be something unsettling about the singerβs presence.
In the second verse, the singer tells a story about their French Canadian uncle, who was shot and killed while running gin. The image of him holding his guts in his hands is gruesome and adds to the eerie feeling of the song. The repetition of the line βAnd the water rolls down the drainβ creates a sense of foreboding, hinting at the possibility of violence or death.
The chorus, βJuly, July, July! never seemed so strangeβ reinforces the idea that there is something unsettling about the singerβs surroundings, perhaps due to the memories tied to the road and the house. The final verse brings up more memories associated with the house, such as troughs and rattling chicken chains. The line, βAnd Iβll say your camisole was sprightly light magenta when, in fact, it was a nappy blueish grey,β suggests a blurring of reality and memory, and hints that the singer may not be entirely reliable.
Overall, the song creates a haunting atmosphere through its descriptions of memories and the sense of unease surrounding the singerβs surroundings.
Line by Line Meaning
There is a road that meets the road
There is a path that intersects another path
That goes to my house
That leads to where I live
And how it green grows there
And how the vegetation is abundant in that area
And we've got special boots
And we have footwear designed for trekking
To beat the path to my house
To tread the path that leads to where I live
And it's careful and it's careful when I'm there
And it's cautious when I am present
And I say your uncle was a crooked french Canadian
And I remark about your relative who was a dishonest French Canadian
And he was gut-shot runnin' gin
And he was shot in the gut while running gin
And how his guts were all suspended in his fingers
And how his guts were held in his hands
And how he held 'em
And how he maintained his grip on them
How he held 'em held, 'em in
How he held them tightly in his grasp
And the water rolls down the drain, the water rolls down the drain
And the water flows down the drainage, the water flows down the drainage
Oh what a lonely thing! in a lonely drain!
Oh how lonesome it is, in the solitary drainage
July, July, July! never seemed so strange
July, July, July! has never been this peculiar
This is the story of the road that goes to my house
This is the account of the path that leads to where I live
And what ghosts there do remain
And which spirits still linger
And all the troughs that run the length and breadth of my house
And all the channels that run throughout my house
And the chickens how they rattle chicken chains
And how the chickens make noise with their chains
And we'll remember this when we are old and ancient
And we will recall this when we are elderly and aged
Though the specifics might be vague
Although the details may be unclear
And I'll say your camisole was sprightly light magenta
And I'll say your undergarment was a bright and vivid magenta
When in fact it was a nappy blueish grey
When in reality it was a dingy blue-grey
And the water rolls down the drain
And the water flows down the drainage
The blood rolls down the drain
The blood flows down the drainage
Oh what a lonely thing
Oh how lonesome it is
In a blood red drain
In a drain stained with blood
July, July, July! it never seemed so strange
July, July, July! has never been this peculiar
Lyrics Β© BMG Rights Management
Written by: COLIN MELOY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Alyx
There is a road that meets the roadΒ
That goes to my house
And how it green grows there
And we've got special boots
To beat the path to my house
And it's careful and it's careful when I'm there
And I say your uncle was a crooked french Canadian
And he was gut-shot runnin' gin
And how his guts were all suspended in his fingers
And how he held 'emΒ
How he held 'em held, 'em in
And the water rolls down the drain, the water rolls down the drain,Β
Oh what a lonely thing! in a lonely drain!
July, July, July! never seemed so strange
This is the story of the road that goes to my house
And what ghosts there do remain
And all the troughs that run the length and breadth of my house
And the chickens how they rattle chicken chains
And we'll remember this when we are old and ancient
Though the specifics might be vague
And I'll say your camisole was sprightly light magenta
When in fact it was a nappy blueish grey
And the water rolls down the drain
The blood rolls down the drain
Oh what a lonely thing
In a blood red drain
July, July, July! it never seemed so strange
Felipe Macedo
Thumb up if you're here in 2020 ππ»
"July, July, July! it never seemed so strange..." #Covid
Potatonado
2022
Brian B
July 2020, yes, it never seemed so strange.
vikkisghost
2022, it seems worse
Jasper Lufkin
@Conchobhar oof @ consenting to your own doom
Conchobhar
July 2021 not much better, but I did just get my second shot!
Alyx
There is a road that meets the roadΒ
That goes to my house
And how it green grows there
And we've got special boots
To beat the path to my house
And it's careful and it's careful when I'm there
And I say your uncle was a crooked french Canadian
And he was gut-shot runnin' gin
And how his guts were all suspended in his fingers
And how he held 'emΒ
How he held 'em held, 'em in
And the water rolls down the drain, the water rolls down the drain,Β
Oh what a lonely thing! in a lonely drain!
July, July, July! never seemed so strange
This is the story of the road that goes to my house
And what ghosts there do remain
And all the troughs that run the length and breadth of my house
And the chickens how they rattle chicken chains
And we'll remember this when we are old and ancient
Though the specifics might be vague
And I'll say your camisole was sprightly light magenta
When in fact it was a nappy blueish grey
And the water rolls down the drain
The blood rolls down the drain
Oh what a lonely thing
In a blood red drain
July, July, July! it never seemed so strange
Meg Safford
@Marcus aka the commonwealth coldly are you ok
Danny
Weird fucking song, as expected from the Decemberists. It's a bop though.
Marcus aka the commonwealth coldly
I'll explain maumelle projector to as tree ashtrays see the price of flames btw free mo.morpberfirexit let me go back home its 7 am and birthday for baby nobody else gonna fix ply.outh