For a hyper-literate indie band making its big-label debut, it comes with great surprise that “The Crane Wife” is not only the Decemberists’ best album to date, but also its weirdest. Best known for pirate-filled tales of love and loss, the Decemberists were never meant to fit in or be cool, and Capitol Records thankfully gives frontman Colin Meloy room to run wild on “The Crane Wife.”“The Island” is a prog-rock epic through and through, expertly weaving the story of a landlord’s daughter and her tragic drowning. “Shankill Butchers” is a delicate ditty, “The Perfect Crime 2” is a wanky jazz tune and “When The War Came” is a hard-rocking power ballad that also happens to be the album’s best song.
With three full-lengths and two EPs released on a trio of independent labels, now seems like a weird time to turn on the feedback and experiment for Meloy and company, but “The Crane Wife” will put any reservations fans (or Capitol Records, for that matter) may have had about the band to rest. The Decemberists hit the ground running on their major-label debut and, like the pirates they often dress up as, get the booty in the process.
—Matthew Grayson
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