"And I...said the Bachelor to the Bride"

I've been getting quite a few surly comments from the peanut gallery, which, for once, I totally love. But, apparently, I've been remiss in my mentioning of and posting for a very important person. So, without further ado, I dedicate this post to Matt, because he really hearts The Decemberists.

Pitchfork has news on The Decemberists forthcoming album here. For those of you (not unlike Matt) who are too lazy to click on the link, I will tell you two things. First, Pitchfork reports that this is their most ambitious record yet. Colin Meloy previews:

"The record is more ambitious and dynamic than anything we've done to date; subject matter includes, but is not limited to, Portland male prostitutes, Spanish child princesses, Cold War spies, joint suicides, injured soccer players, the ghost of a dead barrow boy, a mourning sea-widow, politico celebrities and cannibals." And that's not all! "A shining moment of the record will no doubt be the 8½ minute long 'Mariner's Revenge Song', which is, in essence, the monologue of a man who has been swallowed by a whale and has there met his arch-nemesis. Hi-jinx ensue."

Any summary that ends with "hi-jinx ensue" is ok in my book. But I would like to comment that, for me, Colin Meloy is The Decemberists. The first time I saw them live, the band was excellent, but it was his acoustic, solo encore of Morrissey's "Every Day Is Like Sunday" that sealed the deal for me. I might catch some heat for this, but Colin Meloy is to The Decemberists what Morrissey was to The Smiths. Again, my humble opinion.

Shameless plug: you can download the Decemberists album on eMusic. Click here.