This article is about the Portland, Oregon based band The Decemberists. See Decembrist Revolt for the failed revolt against Tsar Nicholas I of Russia in December 1825.
The Decemberists are a five-piece indie pop band from Portland, Oregon, fronted by singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Colin Meloy. They self-released their debut EP in 2001 and their most recent record is titled Picaresque.
Named both in reference to the Russian Decembrist Revolt and the atmosphere associated with the month of December , the Decemberists' songs range from upbeat pop to instrumentally lush ballads. In their lyrics, they eschew the angst and introspection common to modern rock, instead favoring a storytelling approach with lines like "My mother was a Chinese trapeze artist / In pre-war Paris / Smuggling bombs for the underground" (from "My Mother Was a Chinese Trapeze Artist", on 5 Songs) and "We are two mariners / Our ships' sole survivors / Inside this belly of a whale / Its ribs our ceiling beams / Its guts our carpeting / I guess we have some time to kill" ("The Mariner's Revenge Song", from Picaresque). Their songs convey tales ranging from whimsical ("Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect") to epic ("The Tain") to truly dark (" Odalisque"). They often invoke historical events and themes from around the world.
While they have a sound all their own (which often features the accordion and upright bass), their demeanor and approach has often found The Decemberists compared to Neutral Milk Hotel.
In March 2005, the Decemberists were reportedly the first band to distribute a music video via BitTorrent -- the self-produced 16 Military Wives (for the song of the same name from Picaresque). That same month, the band's equipment trailer was stolen; fans contributed to a replacement fund, and another fund-raiser was organized via eBay auction, bidding copies of Colin Meloy Sings Morrissey and original art work by Carson Ellis. They also received help from Lea Krueger, the Shins, the Dandy Warhols and other musicians. The Martin Guitar Company offered 6- and 12-string guitars on permanent loan. In early April, police discovered the trailer in Clackamas, Oregon missing $40,000 worth of instruments and equipment and a great deal of the band's merchandise.
