1880. “The Crane Wife 3″ by The Decemberists
Joey Michaels on June 30th, 2009Live:
The Crane Wife was The Decemberists’ fourth album and first one released on a major label. Released in 2006 and was voted album of the year by NPR listeners, which probably tells you a thing or two about the band.
The album actually opens with Part 3 of the title track. There are synopsises of the original story on line, but I would like to mention that I saw a Bunraku version of this story performed in Kyoto in 1991. It intrigues me that The Decemberists would go to this particular folk story for inspiration, as its one that seems very much like a European folk story.
The production on The Crane Wife is, in general, sharper than on their pre-major label albums. I especially like how the studio polish brings out the drums and guitar. You can really hear the band embracing their prog rock influences on this track (and the whole album).
I did not spend a lot of time listening to this when it was released in 2006 and, since that time, they released The Hazards of Love. I am excited to have a chance to listen closely to both this album and the newer one over the next week or two.
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