The Decemberists at Irving Plaza
May 4 th 2005
Written and photographed
by Evan Sung |
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The Decemberists |
The Decemberists sailed into New
York City recently, on tour to promote their new
album Picaresque (Kill Rock Stars), singing
songs of nautical lore and erudite lovers writing
each other from across the sea. Frontman Colin Meloy
led his band of merry minstrels onto the stage of
Irving Plaza before an appreciative crowd eager
for The Decemberists’ elusive and charming
tales.
With their kerchiefs and white
jackets, The Decemberists walked on stage looking
a bit like sous-chefs on safari, on the hunt for
a recipe to appeal to all the voyagers, wanderers
and restless romantics in the audience. Well-known
and beloved for their sophisticated, playful lyrics,
The Decemberists evoke a burnished, antique world
of longing and mystery. Like another contemporary
group Clem Snide, and the 90's band Neutral Milk
Hotel (both of whom The Decemberists owe a big debt),
the fairy tale world in their songs is sweeping
and dramatic, but manages to remain rooted in sincerity,
happily never opting for easy irony. Colin Meloy’s
writing is wordplay capitalizing on the unfamiliar
rhythms and sounds of words torn straight out of
GRE-prep flash cards and perhaps even a late edition
of Samuel Johnson’s dictionary. Lines like
“Among five score pachyderm / each canopied
and passengered / sit the duke and the duchess'
luscious young girls” paint vividly the picture
of a majestic procession heralding the birth of
the royal daughter in “The Infanta.”
Fans in the audience sang along with a fervent faith,
with the enthusiasm of initiates in a private, alternate
reality. Like a big Partridge Family reunion,
a giddy kind of joy permeated the crowd, all to
the strains of the violin, piano, dulcimers, and
guitars that filled Irving Plaza.
Onstage, Colin’s limpid,
imploring voice was buttressed by the hearty crew
of the S.S. Decemberists. Instrumentalist Chris
Funk drew on an impressive arsenal of instruments,
from banjos and dulcimers to something called a
“saz” according to the press notes.
Petra Haden guest-supported with her violin and
vocals, while Decemberist regular members Rachel
Blumberg, Nate Query and Jenny Conlee all did their
part to enliven the evening.
What’s most
affecting about The Decemberists’ elaborately
crafted stage persona is the absence of irony. Like
Lit PhD students who all woke up one day to find
themselves in a pirate ship full of bizarro instruments,
they’re diligent and enthusiastic about exploring
and inhabiting their strange surroundings. The band
clearly delights in their anachronistic personae,
but there is never the slightest hint of terminal
hipster-ism. The result is music that is delightful
and refreshing, like sea spray off the starboard
bow.
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