Winter Kids - The Decemberists

Despite being on the verge of a fourth album, aside from a cult following, The Decemberists sadly still remain relatively unknown to Joe Public. Maybe it's their obsession with Nineteenth Century stories (they named themselves after the revolutionary group from that time) or lead singer Colin's crisp, unusual vocal style, or maybe they've just been hidden away for far too long. Either way The Decemberists now face a new crossroads as a band. They've caught mass media attention in the US, they've got US comedians bitching about them on national television and more importantly they’ve recently signed a deal with Capitol Records. Hopefully now bigger things beckon.

Gigwise catches up with John Moen, drummer with the band, who explains why they decided to move from Kill Rock Stars to a larger label. "Well we just decided basically we've moved on a lot from the last albums and that there was something in the air and we had a pretty good following with the resources involved in that label. It seemed like there's never a safe time to take a bit of a gamble but it just felt right to push the envelope a little bit. We talked to a few more people we know and a little bit more recording wise, you know money equals time so we could spend more time working on the record we wanted to make which works for me." 
 
They now look to grow a larger fanbase and not just because they've signed a major deal but because their new album ‘The Crane Wife’ is easily their best yet. Containing piercing vocals and folk verses, the album at moments sounds like a great knees up down your local (with a slightly sharper melody, that is), but then also its poignant melodies manage to melt your heart as you find yourself humming 'Sons and Daughters' for the rest of the week.

The album also focuses on several different stories within the separate songs, many of them following historical characters including three segments based on the Crane Wife, but the band are quick to reject it as a concept record. "Well Colin (vocals) writes all the songs to begin with so we just help with the material, he brings it all to the table at the beginning of the recording process. So he recorded the Crane Wife I,II,III in sort of a book end sort of fashion and it’s mistaken for a concept record a little bit, but the songs in the middle don't necessarily tie in as a story. So I think the Crane Wife trilogy was just something he couldn't tell any other way."
 
Yet this is what makes The Decemberists unique. While all the other acts are complaining about teenagers or the latest ringtones, The Decemberists remain true to their act, separating themselves from the rest. Could they ever see the band changing and move onto different areas? "I think personally I'm interested in any change, but we can say safely that we're interested in that. You can't just have a little formula and keep plugging into it all the whole thing will just die on the iron. We all feel the latest record has made some jumps from the last, so there's still a lot of little stories to be told but musically we try and not make the records the same as the last. We are conscious of that we could just do a repeat of what is Decemberisty."