more music posts than i know what to do with lately, but it’s been a concerty few weeks over here. last night we caught voxtrot at the troubadour, and i have to say, they are a very very good band. i’d only heard one of their ep’s, raised by wolves, before last night, and liked it pretty well. but the set also pulled from their newer EP mothers, sisters, daughters & wives as well as brand new stuff from their early-2007 full length, and it was all excellent. strong lyrics, lots of energy, and a really great sound. i was especially pleasantly surprised with the bouncy piano-driven track soft & warm, so check out that pay day song and look forward to buying their album like me as soon as it is commercially available.

speaking of which, i have a long overdue (and probably utterly obvious) review to turn in…

the decemberists – the crane wife – 5 stars

alright, so next to john darnielle, my hugest musical man-crush in the world is probably directed at colin melloy, so it’s no wonder that i adore this album. but even were i not all in hetero-love with the man, i could make an objective case for this being a splendid album.

overall, their strength consists mainly of finely honing and then expertly executing on an extremely specific and focused aesthetic. with each album i’ve heard, they’ve only polished, fleshed-out, and perfected that style. although the influences are many and obvious, as everyone can see the romantic novel and celtic sea chantey threads showing easily through the majority of their output, they really take that historical grounding and make it their own in a way no one can touch.

i’d even argue that no band sounds the way the decemberists do (and if you disagree, please let me know, because i want to get those other bands’ albums too), and that the sound which they are completely owning right now is a beautiful, lyrical, grand type of sound most bands just can’t pull off this well. the crane wife‘s huge, 10-plus minute songs are easily two of it’s best, and never approach falling victim to the fast-forward button so many extra-long songs miss out to. and if this album has more variation in the style of it’s songs, i’d say that it’s only a sign that colin and friends are finding out the full breadth of space their style can live in and still remain fully true to who they are as a band. from pretty string accompaniments to groovy bass lines, it’s all just showing their confidence in putting forward their own vision of great music and storytelling, and i have to say i’m eating it up and waiting for seconds.