Although there were plenty of fans of their first two records, Picaresque, the third album from the Portland, Oregon-based band The Decemberists, helped make them more of a household name among indie rock fans. Released in March 2005, it displayed both their unique point of view and the breadth of their talents.
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Twenty years on, Picaresque stands out for its freshness and originality even today. It also gave much of the world their first listen to the stellar songwriting talent of frontman Colin Meloy.
Third Time’s a Charm
The first decade of the new millennium witnessed a massive boom in the indie rock world. A batch of striking songwriters stepped into the breach, each one seeming to bring something different to the table. Colin Meloy of The Decemberists offered his own special flavor.
On the first two albums by The Decemberists, along with a couple of early EPs, Meloy showed off a boundless vocabulary and a willingness to try out subjects that were off the beaten path. But while those early records had their high points, they occasionally felt like the rest of the band were struggling to find their way into Meloy’s literate compositions.
For the making of Picaresque, the band decided to record in a church in Portland. The Decemberists also added some new instruments to the mix to try and match the antiquated nature of some of Meloy’s plots, which is why this is one of the rare indie rock albums of that era working a hurdy-gurdy into the mix.
The band worked with producer Chris Walla, who was himself a member of Death Cab for Cutie, a band with their own exceedingly eloquent songwriter in Ben Gibbard. It would be the last record for The Decemberists on an indie label, and they surely went out on a high note.
For the first time, Meloy’s detailed narratives, set across a wide range of settings and eras, were met by music that was suitably epic to meet them. While the band would end up leaning deeper into conceptual, prog-folk territory on subsequent records with extended song suites and overarching storylines, this is the album where you get the breadth of The Decemberists’ ambition in scintillating single servings.
Revisiting the Music of Picaresque
Befitting Colin Meloy’s status as an English major, Picaresque plays out like 11 short stories set to music. But there’s nothing precious or pretentious about the setup. Meloy consistently finds the heart in his far-flung tales so listeners can relate, while his band consistently rises to moving peaks in between the lines.
Opening track “Infanta” sets a thrilling tone, but it’s a bit of a one-off in its laser focus on the folderol around on a young princess. After that, the album dives into several love stories set in outsized situations, whether it’s the world of international espionage (“The Bagman’s Gambit”) or the briny deep (“From My Own True Love (Lost at Sea)”).
Meloy also finds new ways to get into topics that might trip up other songwriters. “The Sporting Life” takes aim at the craziness surrounding youth athletics, while “16 Military Wives,” inspired by the Iraq War, lampoons both warmongers and do-gooders alike. Blustery horns adorning both songs make the pointed messages go down smooth.
By the time The Decemberists round things out with the frenzied, accordion-filled sea shanty “The Mariner’s Revenge Song” and the feathery ballad “Of Angels and Angles,” you believe there’s nothing this quintet can’t do. They’ve proven that again and again in the 20 years since Picaresque arrived.
Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images
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