New Decemberists - "The Rake's Song"
Colin is not fooling with that track title. The first song from the Decemberists' forthcoming The Hazards Of Love LP is a cautionary tale of what happens to a rake when he marries too young. The tale being: his wife dies birthing their fourth child leading Colin to off the remaining "three little pests" (pro tip: feed one foxblood, drown another in a tub, burn the last for incurring your wrath). It's a steamroller by Decemberists standards -- vamping on four chords, roughed up by pounding toms and a lot of curdling, hollered "alrights" -- but it's got a happy ending: after all that murder, our anti-hero winds up a contented bachelor. All's well that ends Colin should see a shrink.
The Decemberists - "The Rake's Song" (MP3)
The Hazards Of Love is out 3/24 via Capitol. Spend every minute between now and then stalking Mr. Meloy on Twitter, if only to see how he can possibly negotiate its 140 character limit.
Posted at 12:37 PM by amrit in MP3
Tags: The Decemberists
This is REALLY FUCKING GOOD.
Very excited for this little rock opera now!
Score = 9
This is a really good song. Im not sure if you are legally allowed to post this track unless licensed or they offered it for free.
Score = -36
you should check out www.decemberists.com where you can download this track.....for free.
Score = 6
Highly unlikely that Stereogum would post this without permission...
Score = 8
not really digging it right now, which means that within a week i'll love it. can't wait for this album.
Score = 4
I transcribed these lyrics from a live version. I believe this song is going to be on their new album Hazards of Love which is due out in April 2009.
Score = -17
March 24th, buddy
Score = 2
hazards of love? what clued you in?
Score = 8
Excellent track! Love those raucous drums and the dramatic story Colin's singing...
Score = 3
pretty noice
Score = 2
GIDDY UP !!!
This album is going to be really fucking good!!
Score = 4
Great stuff. Album sounds like it's gonna be epic.
Score = 2
I loved the Decemberists, until their show at the Electric Factory in Philly this past November. Since this was just after the election they were very excited about Obama. I understand being excited for something like that, but I hate when a band forgets its duties to its audience. I would have been equally pissed off if I went to see a band and they were rejoicing about a McCain victory. There are exceptions of course. Like Pete Seeger for example. If I was going to a Pete Seeger concert after this election I would have expected some kind of socialist celebration. I mean, he's put himself specifically in the "political music" camp. What do you guys think?
Score = -29
I think musicians are people just like anybody else and if they want to get excited because their guy wins the election, so be it. All that "shut up and sing" stuff is nonsense. You don't ever hear anyone say "shut up and flip burgers" or "shut up and work your TPS reports" when everyday people talk about politics. Musicians do vote also. If they want to talk about who they voted for, more power to them.
Score = 9
I don't know dude. If I came to work and didn't do my job because all I wanted to do was sit and talk about Obama, I would most likely get fired. After a cursory "Shut up and work your TPS reports" of course. Why is this so hard to understand? If I paid a musician to come play at my wedding and instead he came and talked about Obama all evening into the microphone, I would be pretty mad and want my money back. If I'm one out of a group of people that have paid them to come to my town and play some songs for us at a concert and all they do is talk about Obama all evening in to the microphone, I can be just as upset.
Score = 3
Yes, but did Colin spend the ENTIRE NIGHT talking about Obama? I'd guess not. I saw them at the Wiltern and they touched on it briefly and even integrated it into the flow of the performance (this came during 16 Military Wives), so it didn't bother me at all. You're definitely overreacting.
Score = 7
zayin_451 are you a self employed musician? if not then your comment is totally irrelevant.
the decembrists are self employed muscians who DON"T have to answer to owners, stockholders etc. they are therefore free to manufacture,produce their product/shows as they see fit. so you see my whiney mouhed right wing friend the fact that you would get fired from your 9-5 job if you went in and spent the day talking politics and neglecting your job duties is totally irrelevant.
it kills me how everytime bruce springsteen, u2, john mellencamp or any other political left musician comesw to town, the day after the concert every right winger in town calls the local right wing talk show and whines about how they got ripped off.
bottom line these musicians are entitled to freedom of speech and expression, you right wingers kbnow their politics going in. you know springsteen, u2....the decembrists are gonna get to politics, so why go to the concert to begin with. you have no complaint. if you don't want to hear their political rap, don't buy a ticket and go to their show. these complaints are never waged over toby keith or charlie daniels or ted nugent or kid rock or megadeth or any other right wing musical act.
i'd be willing to bet for every whiney mouthed right wing moron like you that was in that decembrists concert, there were a thousand who agreed with them.
Score = 0
Not to mention that over 99% of musicians and artists and hollywood-types all support the exact same political dogma - all are too unoriginal to think for themselves, too scared to think different and not belong in the club, and too stupid to know any better.
What a bunch of uneducated ignorant, predictable dolts.
Score = -9
Are you joking? Oh right, reality is a dogma now? I am not a big fan of any party but I think the rest of the known human race was pretty damned happy to see the scumbags lose these past two elections. I guess W is right up your dogma jackanape.
Score = 2
Nope - I'm actually with you. Both parties are full of deplorable criminals. But it's just hilarious how such a large group of people (musicians etc) all "think" exactly the same. I know why - they don't think. They just join the club they're supposed to be in. A bunch of scared chicken-shit cop-outs who are too lazy to actually form an independent view of their own about matters political.
Score = -4
Either that or creative sensitive people who devote their lives to the arts and spend their time observing the realities of the world tend to, you know, care about other poeple and be able to put themselves in their shoes. Which is hardly a Republican ideal. Unlike pretending to care about people using spiffy rhetoric..
Score = 4
Yay! Stereotyping entire groups is fun!
Score = 6
Well, it is STEREOgum!
Score = -3
if that's not the pot calling the kettle black. your post is as idotic as they come. first off, where did you get that 99% stat? pulled it out of your ass no doubt.
the right has had their share in the entertainment industry, ronald reagan, clint eastwood, bruce willis, dennis miller, arnold schwartzeneger, the whole of the nashville music industry. it's only obvious that you don't think for yourself, using the usual right wing attack on the entertainment industry, wasn't that where mccarthy started? attacking hollywood and the music industry?
speaking of not being able to think for ones self, the majority of republicans still believe sadam huessein had weapons of mass destruction, the majoeity of republicans still think that sadam was involved in the 911 attacks the majority of republicans still believe that sadam was a threat to national security and was about to launch an attack on america. the majority of republicand still swear up and down gthat we found WMD's in iraq. why does the majority of republicans still believe this after it has been proven otherwise? because they are too stupid to think for themselves. too stupid to acept the facts, because rush limpballs and the rest of the right wing talking heads say otherwise. the sheer fact that the extreme majority of republicans by into the "LIBERAL PRESS BIAS" shows the are too stupid to think for themselves.
bottom line is this...here in the USA anyway...the constitution garuntees everyone freedom of speech,freedom of expression, freedom of the press and freedom of choice. everyone...that includes actors, singers, journalists, poets, songwriters, novelists, EVERYONE.
fact is my right wing moronic friend, the decembrists don't fall under the facistic control of nashville and are exempt from the treatmen that nashville and their right wing southern white trailer trash minions exacted on the dixie chicks. talk about brainless morons following ignorantly like sheep.
Score = 0
so let me see if i understand you here. you believe since you bought a ticket to a concert, that that gives you the righ to dictate to that entertainer what he/she has the right to say or sing? and as far as forgetting their duties to their audience, just what are their duties to their audience?are these official duties, spelled out in a contract? are these official rules layed out by some organization and if so who and where can i find this list of official duties? is it politically incorrect? i didn't think right wingers believed in political correctness. or is this just your right wing opinion?
what duties do you fel the band forgot to provide? did they just stand on stage for an hour talking politics and not play any music? or did they just simply refuse to give up their contutional rights when they took the stage like you feel they should have?
the arts, be it acting, writing, singing playing an insturment, painting, drawing.....all arts....take away freedom of speech, freedom of the press and freedom of expression and you have no art..
Score = 0
I didn't realize that I would be excited about a new Decemberists but this album has me all giggly. I enjoyed their last one quite a bit.
Score = 4
It's damn good, but when did Colin Meloy start sounding like Billy Joe Armstrong from Green Day?
Score = -5
is it just me or does this sound just like john vanderslice?
Score = 5
Wow. Actually, you have a point.
Score = 1
I'm a big Decemberists fan, but I wasn't too excited about this until I heard it. I'd say this song is better than anything on the Crane Wife, and now I can't wait to hear the new album.
Score = 0
He actually feeds her foxglove...a natural poison...not foxblood...which would just be creepy.
Score = 5
I'll be honest, i just saw "Decemberists" and immediately listened to it without reading anything. Having established I will listen to anything they put out i have to say i really enjoyed this, its a nice variation on what they normally do.
Score = 4
I find him entirely too precious and annoying. Shit voice to boot.
Score = -7
dude. what the hell are you doing here.
Score = 4
holy fuck this is amazing.
i can't stop listening to it.
and here i was expecting the same "meh" that was crane wife. boy was i wrong...
Score = 2
I don't know... I mean, this is the only song I've listened to from this album but, are The Decemberists evolving or just sort of cranking out the same basic format? I definitely DON'T see this song as foreshadowing anything epic... but I'm a fan all the same.
Score = -3
Does anyone know what inspired this song? Was it a news story?
Score = 0
Best song on a not so good album by an AMAZING band.
Score = 0