Of swaggering sailors and grieving military wives

Tara and I went to see one of my favorite bands de jour, the Decemberists, last night. They have had some play recently on the local radio stations with their song Sixteen Military Wives. That song is, to my mind, the best piece of political songwriting on the radio, and I would say that even if it weren't the only piece of political songwriting on the radio. But what I truly love about this band is that they are story-tellers, narrating tales straight out of Victorian era newspaper serials and following those stories up with sly ballads about losing your friend's bike or experiencing spectacular humiliation on the playing field. The Decemberist sing about sailors settling old scores in the belly of a whale, haunting elegies about barrel boys, and Dickensian chimney sweeps. Though they are not at all country, the band's dedication to narrative songwriting makes me think of some of the great country balladeers like Marty Robbins and Johnny Horton.

The concert did not disappoint. The sextet includes Colin Melloy's sharp yet lilting cadence and lead guitar backed up by a lush mix of violin, upright bass, accordion and keyboards, bass guitar, and drums. The band jockeyed the appreciative audience back and forth between melancholy ballads and bouncy popesque tunes with fun bass lines. The band has been prodigious since its formation in 2001, and the set list was comprised of songs from their three albums and also included a new song. I was impressed by the range of ages in the audience, and the music seemed to resonate with the high school kids even as their parental chaperones happily bobbed to the music. A lovely evening was had by all and I highly recommend checking out any of The Decemberists releases.