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 ‘The Decemberists Of Liverpool 1985-87’ on this album to make a distinction from the famous 21st century group of the same name.
The Perfect Crime #2
The Decemberists Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sing Muse of the warning by the whistle
On a night so dark in the waning
A dawn obscured by slight sky raining, oh oh
Five and twenty burglars by the reservoir
A teenage lookout on the signal tower
The mogul's daughter in hog-tie
It was a perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, the perfect, the perfect crime
It was a perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, the perfect, the perfect crime
The bagman's quaking at the fingers
The hand-off glance a little lingers
A well-dressed man in the crosshairs
A shot rings out from somewhere upstairs
It was a perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, the perfect, the perfect crime
It was a perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, the perfect, the perfect crime
It was the perfect crime
It was like a ticker-tape parade
When the plastique on the safe was blown away
And we all gaze from eye to eye
As we mouth our silent goodbyes
The valley's sleeping like a bastard
It stinks of slumber and disaster
Two words are spoken with tap wire
The agent's ploy finds a surefire backfire
It was a perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, the perfect, the perfect crime
It was a perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The perfect, the perfect, the perfect crime
The Decemberists' "The Perfect Crime #2" is a melodious account of a successful heist plan. The song describes how the burglars' perfect heist plans go exactly as they hoped, but eventually, it all ends in tragedy. The opening line itself, "Sing Muse with passion of the pistol," is an invocation of the ancient Greek muses, who were invoked to inspire the telling of epic tales. The lyrics describe the events leading up to the "perfect" crime and the moments when it all falls apart. The song paints a picture of the events that led to the successful burglary, with twenty-five burglars involved, a teenage lookout on the signal tower, and the mogul's daughter in hog-tie. But then we hear of the mogul figuring out the wrong guy was responsible during the heist. The lyrics throughout the song are vivid, and the descriptive language helps create a movie-like atmosphere.
However, the song takes a dark turn towards the end when a well-dressed man is caught in the crosshairs and eventually shot. The song's concluding lines, "The valley's sleeping like a bastard. It stinks of slumber and disaster," hint at the tragedy the song describes. The song contains a classic example of dramatic irony, in which the singer felt that they have completed the perfect crime but is unaware of the consequences lurking around the corner.
Line by Line Meaning
Sing Muse with passion of the pistol
Call forth inspiration and creativity relating to the story of the pistol
Sing Muse of the warning by the whistle
Invoke creativity around the whistle's warning
On a night so dark in the waning
On a very dark and waning night
A dawn obscured by slight sky raining, oh oh
A slightly rainy dawn covers the sky, oh oh
Five and twenty burglars by the reservoir
Twenty-five burglars at the reservoir
A teenage lookout on the signal tower
A teenager working as a lookout on a signal tower
The mogul's daughter in hog-tie
The daughter of the mogul is tied up like a hog
The mogul figures the wrong guy, all right
The mogul realizes he has targeted the wrong person
It was a perfect, the perfect, the perfect
The crime was perfectly executed
The perfect, the perfect, the perfect crime
An undeniable perfect crime
The bagman's quaking at the fingers
The bagman is shaking with fear
The hand-off glance a little lingers
The glance during the hand-off lingers a while
A well-dressed man in the crosshairs
A stylishly-dressed man in the crosshairs of the criminal
A shot rings out from somewhere upstairs
A gunshot rings out from upstairs
It was like a ticker-tape parade
It was like an overly celebratory parade
When the plastique on the safe was blown away
The plastique explosive used to blow open the safe
And we all gaze from eye to eye
They all stared at each other
As we mouth our silent goodbyes
As they say goodbye to each other silently
The valley's sleeping like a bastard
The valley is sound asleep in an unpleasant way
It stinks of slumber and disaster
The feeling of sleepiness and disaster in the air
Two words are spoken with tap wire
Two words are spoken through a wiretap
The agent's ploy finds a surefire backfire
The agent's plan backfires
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: COLIN MELOY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind