The Decemberists - The Tain
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CD Details
Artist: The DecemberistsEdition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown)
CD Release Date: 2005-07-12
Music Label: Kill Rock Stars
Soundtracks:
- The Tain (Pt. I-V)
Music reviews of The Tain
Music Review: Radical departure
Rating: 4 Stars
Everyone knows the Decemberists as being a sort of light indie-pop/folk band, with slightly odd songs and a slightly sunny feel. Not the sort of band to do a mythic concept album, right? Wrong. In what may be their best release so far, the Decemberists released "The Tain," a rich musical reinterpretation of Irish legend.
It's basically one song in five movements, starting off with a quietly sneering song from the "Crone." It then switches to a dark mix of bass and electronic instrumentation, before changing again to a stately, mournful acoustic ballad, where Meloy's cries of "On this stretch of ground/I'll lay me down" are echoed by the "Chorus of Waifs."
The fourth movement opens with Rachel Blumberg's soft singing, over a muted Hammond ballad. The final part of this musical tapestry is mostly a conversation between a woman and daughter, a percussive rock song that snaps and snarls, before ending with another word from the Crone.
"Tain Bo Cualnge" was the inspiration for this EP -- it was originally a story about cattle raids and legendary heroes in ancient Ulster. The Decemberists only loosely retell it, through offbeat rock songs and peculiar ballads. What's really striking is the musical reinvention -- nowhere are the more charming tunes of their full-length albums. This is dark, it's rock, and it's wonderfully eerie.
Meloy and Co. don't let the dark tone of the old myth get away from them -- in the middle of the fourth part, they burst into a kind of Celtic carnival tune. I'm not sure what it's supposed to signify, except that it sticks closer to the musical traditions of Ireland. The writing only falters at the beginning; the first part is pretty vulgar, and lacks the mythic tone of the following songs.
Colin Meloy seems to have found his vocal niche here. While he just sounds odd in light songs, here he sounds like the long-lost brother of Billy Corgan. It's a sound that suits him. He sounds particularly good when singing intensely, drawing the word "blood" out to something like "Bloo-uh-ud!" And he fits against a backdrop of sharp percussion, solid riffs and basslines, as well as some majestic waves of Wurlitzer, Rhodes, and piano.
In "The Tain" EP, the Decemberists seem to have found one of the kinds of music they do best. A unique concept album, and definitely one worth checking out.
Description of The Tain
The Decemberists burst onto the scene with Castaways and Cutouts, wowed critics and gained legions of fans with Her Majesty, and then continued the trend with Picaresque. Along with these recorded feats they have been praised for their captivating live shows and never ending lengthy tours. Following the release of their latest album, Picaresque, The Decemberists are everywhere. Really everywhere, in the pages of Rolling Stone and Wired, on NPR, in Nordstrom, on your TV and radio, etc. In the wake of all this Kill Rock Stars is re-releasing their highly acclaimed EP The Tain. This concept EP was previously released last year on Acuarela. The Tain's cornerstone is a cycle of Celtic mythology under the same name and is basically a one epic song divided into five parts. A bit of a rock opera, the Tain has been a live favorite among their fans.''The Decemberists have made two albums of literate, crackling songs, but The Tain is the best entry into their high-rock theater. The Portland, Oregon, band vividly conjures the clang of battle and the stench of ruined flesh in this mini-epic of marching guitars, bowed upright bass and artful contradiction.''
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