The Crane Wife

Capitol raised a few eyebrows when they signed indie stalwarts the Decemberists. There's nothing blatantly commercial about the Portland quintet, from Colin Meloy's quavery voice and hyper-literate lyrics to the band's wide-ranging music, which encompasses baroque pop, prog rock, and dozens of other styles. Then again, he did once sing, "I was made for the stage," and those who've seen the group live know this to be true. Sure, they're storytellers, but they're entertainers, too--just not in the Top 40 sense. Never ones to play it safe, their major label debut takes its inspiration from a Japanese folk tale. It travels from the Replacements-style balladry of "The Crane Wife 3"--which joins words like "Each feather it fell from skin/'Til threadbare while she grew thin" to the melody from "Here Comes a Regular"--to the ELP hoedown of three-part epic "The Island" to the haunting duet between Meloy and Laura Veirs on "Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then)." It's an impressively eclectic effort that somehow manages to avoid sounding scattered. Co-produced by Chris Walla (Death Cab for Cutie) and Tucker Martine (the Long Winters), the Decemberists' fourth full-length is richer, less immediately catchy than its predecessor (there's nothing as bouncy here as Picaresque's "Sixteen Military Wives"). It's also a deeper work that resists snap judgments. Some records hit you over the head with their brilliance, others need time to percolate. Time will tell if The Crane Wife is the Decemberists' best album--it's certainly their most ambitious so far.

2006第四张录音室专辑 专辑时长:60:15 风格:独立摇滚，前卫民谣，艺术摇滚 Allmusic:3.5/5 Blender:4/5 The Guardian:4/5 NME:6/10 Pitchfork:8.4/10 Rolling Stone:3.5/5 Spin:4/5 原专曲目:1-10

鹤妻来自日本寓言，大致是穷人救鹤，鹤深深感恩于是化为女子以身相许。鹤织出丝绸卖得银财，只是叮嘱丈夫不能偷看织造方法。丈夫日益贪婪而鹤妻日渐消瘦，有天丈夫偷窥织绸，看见鹤妻是用自己的羽毛织成绸缎。鹤妻看见丈夫违背约定，化为鹤一去不还。

室内流行和独立民谣的气质结合的很完美

像是故事集，鹤妻、南北战争、列宁格勒之围等等，非常有趣