We finally got around to watching this one. A brilliant, depressing film about the three things that continue to define much of the character of America: comfort, cowardice and contempt.
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2. The Decemberists – The King is Dead
Sheeshameesha. What’s the deal with these guys?
1. Where do they get off making so many fricking brilliant albums!?
2. It’s not fair to use the word panoply as a lyric, that somehow fits in seamlessly with a gentle hymn to Springtime… as if it were some word people casually throw around in everyday conversation. It makes things really hard for the rest of us who have to stumble around clumsily in the english language. Jerks.
3. I love them.
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3. The Believer
My subscription just ended, and I’ve got to scrounge up the money to resubscribe. You can’t live too long without a magazine whose articles start with sentences like, “There is no place on Earth where a person can say with absolute certainty that they are not being stalked by ninjas.” True story.
[photo via @ Conor Tomas.]
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4. M. Ward
I know we’re both straight.
Still.
M. Ward is my musical boyfriend.
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5. My new top secret writing project, coming in April
Okay, so it’s not top secret at all, since I’ve emailed a bunch of friends to help me with it. Still, I’m really excited about it, and more information will follow in coming months.
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Lauren
Great Post!
Jesse
The Believer’s website confirmed my suspicion that the cover art was done by Charles Burns. I assume you’ve read Black Hole? That rocked my world. I have a bunch of his other stuff on hold at the library. He also did a bunch of artwork for Fever Ray, which totally makes sense.
towardeverywind
We should try to get M. Ward to live with us …
Scott
I think he is married. If so we’ll have to make space for a couple instead of just one guy.
Although, I believe his wife is a writing professor, so it’s a pretty great two for one deal.
Andrew
Three thoughts on The King is Dead:
1) Colin Meloy’s voice has never been typical lead vocalist material — I think he has finally stopped caring. In the past he may have played up that fact for effect and now he is just singing.
2) I’m more struck by the creative use of simple words and willing to forgive the occasional $5 word. I, too, rarely find “panoply” appropriate to use in everyday conversation but to using “green” as a verb just blows me away. (January Hymn: “On a winter Sunday I go / To clear away the snow / And green the ground below) Wow.
3) That said, for the sake of full disclosure, the first three tracks are so good I’ve hardly listened to the rest of the album.
Scott
Yeah, I totally agree. I feel like their vocabulary actually feels really natural coming from them because of how literate their storytelling is. It feels like they are using their words earnestly, not pretentiously.
I do love the first three tracks, but I love all the tracks. They make such great music!