The Decemberists – “The Crane Wife 1, 2 & 3” (Demo)
The Decemberists’ major-label debut The Crane Wife turned 10 years old last month, and to celebrate, the band are reissuing the album in a massive 5xLP deluxe anniversary edition box set. Three of those five LPs are devoted to b-sides, bonus tracks, outtakes, alternate versions, and acoustic demos, and now they’ve shared one of those, a previously unreleased home demo of “The Crane Wife 1, 2 & 3,” the three-part song-suite that bookends the album. It’s just frontman Colin Meloy alone with an acoustic guitar, singing all three parts together in their original sequence, and it’s quite lovely. Listen below.
The Decemberists are also announcing the release of a new branded wine, because of course they are. The band have once again teamed up with Penner-Ash Wine Cellars for another limited-edition batch of Bandit Queen, their Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. They’re selling 800 bottles of the 2015 vintage, and you can purchase your very own over on Penner-Ash’s website here.
The 10th anniversary edition of The Crane Wife is out 12/9. Pre-order it here.