He Was Meant For The Page

[November 26th, 2008]

When you think of the Decemberists, what adjectives come to mind? Rustic? Epic? Pretentious? Wordy must be toward the top. While Portland’s finest folk-rock act continues to branch out musically, its songs are still some of the most dense, bookish and elaborate narratives in pop music. After a year-long break that allowed singer-guitarist Colin Meloy to road-test new material in a solo setting (and the band’s other members to partake in their own side projects), the Decemberists regroup in Portland this Saturday to celebrate the final installment of their Always the Bridesmaid single series. Before they return with next record, Hazards of Love—reportedly a rock opera about shape-shifting animals—we figured this would be an apt time to look back fondly on our favorite characters to ever inhabit Colin Meloy’s old-timey world.

The song: “Leslie Anne Levine” from 2002’s Castaways and Cutouts
The character: Leslie Anne Levine
The setting: A parapet, not far from a dry ravine, in the general vicinity of some catacombs, somewhere in England (around 1842).
Fanciest word used: Parapet—a low wall or railing to protect the edge of a platform, roof or bridge.
Key lyric: “Fifteen years gone now/ Still a wastrel mesallied.”
There’s more to this sad little ghost story than a preoccupation with British architecture—note the rare verb derivation of “mésalliance” (an unsuitable marriage or union) and the antiquated definition of “wastrel” (a neglected child). Meloy is in rare form here.

The song: “Eli, the Barrow Boy” from 2005’s Picaresque
The character: Eli, a barrow boy (hawker of fruit and vegetables from a barrow) drowns himself (dressed in corduroy, of course) in a river but still continues to push his cart from the grave.
The setting: A small, quaint countryside plagued by tragedy (sometime in the early 20th century).
Fanciest word used: Tamarack—a deciduous North American conifer.
Key lyric: “Would I could afford to buy my love a fine robe/ Made of gold and silk Arabian thread.”
The song’s spare, cyclical lyrics are set alongside one of the band’s finest arrangements, with Meloy’s voice floating amid guitar strums and Jenny Conlee’s mournful accordion providing shades of color between the verses. Four years later and it’s still one of the Decemberists’ most heart-wrenching tunes.

The song: “O Valencia!” from 2006’s The Crane Wife
The character: Valencia, one half of a pair of Romeo & Juliet-esque star-crossed lovers, who is shot by her brother and left to die in the arms of the singer.
The setting: Outside a window in the pouring rain (in either 1595 or 2005…true love has no timetable)
Fanciest word used: Oath—any profane expression, curse, or swearword
Key lyric: “When first we laid eyes/ I swore to no compromise/ Till I felt my caress on your skin.”
Though the story has been told a thousand times before, Meloy’s concise tale of a boy who falls for a girl from the rival gang works because of how un-wordy it is. You don’t need the OED to enjoy this—just a love of good ol’ guitar pop.

The song: “Valerie Plame” from 2008’s Always the Bridesmaid: Vol. 1
The character: Valerie Plame, a former CIA operations officer whose covert identity was leaked by journalist Robert Novak in a 2003 column for The Washington Post. The following hullabaloo resulted in the Plame affair and the conviction of Lewis “Scooter” Libby on four counts of perjury, obstruction of justice and making false statements—as well as lots of silly code names and, this October, a Colin Meloy song in her honor.
The setting: The post 9/11, pre-Obama quagmire we call home.
Fanciest words used: Nom de guerre—pseudonym.
Key lyric: “And so my Vespa became your chariot/ From the Green Zone Marriott/ To be etched upon my mind.”
The Decemberists’ latest single trades Meloy’s usual infatuation with all things Gothic for a current events tale perfect for the Colbert set. But the trad “Hey Jude” coda and use of wayyyy too many “la da da de da’s” derail what could be a fine piece of bright ’60s pop.