The Decembrists have always been a little hard to place on the spectrum of modern rock. They land somewhere around the twisted storytelling of Neutral Milk Hotel but forego Jeff Mangum's intensely personal lyrics in favor of narratives about World War I trench warfare, the child royalty of Spain and nautical tales of vengeance. The band also draws heavily from the Brit-pop genre.
Singer and chief songwriter Colin Meloy's skullduggerous lyrics are likely to send listeners running for their unabridged Webster's.
To save everyone a little time in regards to the band's newest release, Picaresque, the title denotes a particular style of writing that originated in Spain in the 17th century and satirically depicts the adventures of a roguish hero living by their wits in a corrupt society.
While \picaresque"" does describe the general direction of parts of the album, the subject matter covers more than just a 300-year-old literary styles.
Meloy sings of watery suicide, international intrigue and even a couple more times about death at sea. Some surprises do pop up here and there though. ""16 Military Wives"" is actually a very clever dig at politics in modern-day America, and ""On the Bus Mall"" is the sweetest song about prostitution you're likely ever to hear, at least until the Postal Service decides to write an ode to the oldest profession.
Even where the band treads on old ground, the results are still impressive. In between albums Meloy has lost neither his wit nor his formidable vocabulary.
Musically, Picaresque follows the same path marked between their first full-length Castaways and Cutouts and the follow up Her Majesty, further building on the theatrical sound of the second album.
The variety of instrumentation makes the songs sound more fleshed-out and expansive. The organization of songs follows Her Majesty very closely: There are a couple of eight minute epics, a pounding minor-scale opener and the Brit-pop styled first single. This is not to say that the band has not made improvements on their old formula, however.
""The Sporting Life,"" the aforementioned first single, is catchier than anything the band has ever done and ""The Bagman's Gambit's"" sprawling arrangements reach from the delicate opening chords to the chaotic, whirling climax.
Meloy's songwriting strays farther from Neutral Milk Hotel comparisons and much closer to the Smiths on several of the tracks, such as the distinctly Marr-ish guitar on ""The Engine Driver."" Incidentally, Meloy spent much of the early part of 2005 on a solo tour covering Morrissey songs.
As the songs on Picaresque are some of the most intricately crafted and emotionally involving the Decembrists have ever done, perhaps it is best they have focused on improving their style rather than pioneering new territory. If you agree, be sure to telegraph Meloy and tell him so.
