Her Majesty The Decemberists

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ALBUM INFORMATION

Total Tracks: 11   Total Length: 48:31

eMusic Review

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Andrew Womack

eMusic Contributor

04.30.09
The Decemberists, Her Majesty The Decemberists
2009 | Label: Kill Rock Stars / Redeye

There are far too many reasons to adore the Decemberists: for their sharp, evocative storytelling, for their stunning and ambitious song arrangements, for their impossibly catchy hooks. But the one that leaves the rest in the dust is their unshakable, wry humor, which sits squarely in the heart of Her Majesty the Decemberists. As much as lead singer Colin Meloy may invoke the seemingly sincere images of shipwrecks and sailors' ghosts ("Shanty for the Arethusa") or the melancholy of a thrilling, but doomed, affair ("The Bachelor and the Bride"), he'll never demure from throwing in a really good joke, as in "Los Angeles, I'm Yours," a poison-pen letter to the city, where he sings, "A plaintive melody/ Truncated symphony/ An ocean's garbled vomit on the shore/ Los Angeles, I'm yours." It's obvious Meloy scored well on his vocabulary tests, but it's the way he flexes his knowledge that makes Her Majesty the Decemberists easily one of the finest releases of 2003.

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quirky pop

KevMc

Not your typical pop. Clever, catchy stuff with a story to tell. Probably not for everyone, but I sure like it.

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...Well, you COULD start with this one

cgwatt

To offer a somewhat different perspective from ProgNClassicaLover's below, I have to admit that this was the first Decemberists album I listened to--I bought it on the strength of "The Soldiering Life," which I still think is a great song. I think many of the recurring aspects of the Decemberists' oeuvre can be found in this album--the interest in historical and nautical themes (See "Shanty for the Arethusa" and "The Chimbley Sweep," for example), the fondness for wordy lyrics, and the occasional venture into the creepy (the prime example on this album being "The Bachelor and the Bride"). But putting its value as a representative piece of work aside, I also think it's a strong album, lyrically interesting and very catchy in places, and thus a good introduction to the Decemberists in that respect as well. At least, it certainly didn't put me off them. I particularly enjoy "The Gymnast, High Above the Ground," "Red Right Ankle," and, as mentioned above, "The Soldiering Life."

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Don't start with this one

ProgNClassicaLover

You'd better already love the Decemberists to listen to this one. Much of it is embarrassing, albeit yes, in a charming way if you know what you're getting into. Start with the great "Picaresque" and then go back to "Castaways" and then you'll be ready to forgive "Majesty" like a loving brother.

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They Say All Media Guide

On Her Majesty, the Decemberists’ follow-up to their excellent debut, Castaways and Cutouts, the group cements its reputation as a seafaring Belle & Sebastian or a more grounded Neutral Milk Hotel. Tying together sweet symphonic pop with a ragtag theatricality, this album is more ambitious and more scattered than Castaways and Cutouts, making it an initially less accessible and more difficult listen. However, many of Her Majesty’s most indulgent moments are among its best, including the high drama of the album opener, “Shanty for the Aretheusa,” an epic that runs with the dark beauty that haunted the corners of the Decemberists’ debut and gives it a wild, rambling edge. Likewise, “The Gymnast, High Above the Ground” also displays the band’s expertise at creating subtle but palpable drama and swooning romanticism with just a few musical brush strokes. The wonderfully named “I Was Meant for the Stage,” a triumphantly bittersweet song for the inner drama queen in everyone, shows off Colin Meloy’s uniquely expressive voice: at one moment he’s lispingly fey; the next, he’s sneering self-deprecatingly. These beautiful, challenging songs make the band’s occasional dips into treacle, such as the cloying “Billy Liar,” forgivable, but what makes Her Majesty such a solid album is the consistent quality of the songs pitched between its high and low points. “Los Angeles, I’m Yours” flirts with soft rock, coming across as a latter-day single from Al Stewart; “Your Red Right Ankle” is an intimately and creatively detailed love song; and “Song for Myla Goldberg” has a sunny, winning appeal. Even though Her Majesty isn’t quite as striking and full-formed as Castaways and Cutouts, it’s still a consistently charming album that finds the band coming into its own. – Heather Phares

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