Go to sleep now, little ugly

November 11th 2008 by E..

It’s funny how, within the alternative/indie music world, there are some bands that are wildly popular when compared to other bands in the very same scene…you would think that, as a band became more and more popular, they would stop being ‘alternative’ and cross over into more mainstream territory…some might tell you that this is exactly what happened to The Decemberists, and I’m not sure I’d be quick to argue…however, there have been more than just a few cases in history of a band hitting it big and still remaining true to their own creative direction…

The Decemberists released their first album, Castaways And Cutouts, in 2002…in my opinion, this is their best album, as the next two would mostly retread the literate, waltz-time path that their debut blazed…their fourth album, 2006’s The Crane Wife, though, was their first for Capitol Records, and it shows…along with a few nautical-folk moments, there are some completely uncharacteristic turns and explorations into genres like funk, big guitar rock, and (gulp) prog…in concert on Friday night, the band played a good amount of material from each of their albums, and focused rather heavily on their new singles series, Always The Bridesmaid…according to leader Colin Meloy, their upcoming album, Hazards Of Love, lacks many of the more jaunty numbers that drove their previous albums; however those missing songs are being released one at a time over a few months (the last of the three singles comes out the first week of December)…Still, the band puts on a really good show, and brings great life and energy into some of the more questionable songs in their catalogue…the show is interactive as well, with Meloy getting everyone in the Electric Factory to sit down during “The Perfect Crime #2″, or rousing an Obama-inspired call-and-response during the not-so-subtle “16 Military Wives”…naturally, their devoted (and ever-growing) audience ate it all up…

From where I was standing, I had a tough time getting good pictures, but a few that I did catch were pretty good…

As always, there are a few more pictures from this show (and lots more from other shows) here…

Additionally, Y-Rock, XPN and NPR Music were broadcasting the show live that night, and now have it archived for your streaming pleasure…

E.

Lyric of the Time:
Strolling under grimey skies
Machines that make you kiss in time
Smoke on your breath, smoke on your breath

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