5 Songs

by

The Decemberists

Edit

I've always enjoyed music that evokes feelings of lukewarm summer evenings. Cold wintry days always seem to bring me down to a level I quickly want to be removed from. Instead, I take pleasure in evenings where the sun seems to never want to hide itself behind the horizon. The kind of evening that just doesn't seem to come around too often in my neck of the woods. Coming from the Midwest, I've always had the ability to take long drives down the highways and countryside simply for the sake of my own enjoyment. The Decemberists are a band that incorporates images of all these feelings. If you've read any of my music reviews in the past, you know that although I'm not the biggest fan of country music, per se, I am a true believer in the steel guitar. I'll even take it in the format of a pedal steel if that's all I can get. The steel guitar has just always had the ability to express true heartfelt sorrow and beauty to me.

With their Five Songs EP, The Decemberists have showcased steel guitarist Chris Funk to send the majority of this morsel straight into the pearly gates of carefree rock heaven. "Oceanside" opens with perfectly strummed acoustic guitars that are married with Colin Meloy's unobtrusive, yet confident, vocals. If you give him some time, he'll even show you that lyrics are still important to music in a time of instrumental bands. "Shiny," the next song, is such a terrific song. To be honest, it's one of the nicest damn songs I've heard in months. The chords that have been used seem to say so many things by themselves, and the steel guitar is the true star. How could anyone feel bad when listening to a song such as this one? It seems to be the mold that all others have copied. The same could be said for the next song, "My Mother Was a Chinese Trapeze Artist." It has the same vibe as the previous track, and makes me wonder how these guys could know exactly what I like in my music. It's easy to see why they have received so much critical acclaim for their album Castaways and Cutouts.

The Decemberists will captivate you with their innocent and introverted sounds. Nothing here is forced, nor will it sound forced upon you. In a time when there is so much turmoil and hatred in the world, it's almost imperative that artists like this make music to remind us of a more simple time. This is also the type of music that tends to bridge the gap between today's music, and music the baby boomers enjoyed two decades ago. Although there are only six tracks here (go figure), I'd say this is a purchase that is worth every penny spent.

Don't ask me why the Decemberists' "5 Songs" actually has six songs on it, because I really do not know. Their indiepop-folk tunes are pleasant as always on this E. It serves as a good companion to their first two albums, but their style is a bit too twee and quiet.

It opens with the airy "Oceanside," another song that hints at the rambling old towns and seashores that Decemberist songs are full of. That feeling sticks on through the EP, with the fast strums of "Shiny," the whimsical air of "My Mother Was A Chinese Trapeze Artist," and the downbeat ballad "I Don't Mind." The only one that lacks the whimsy is the boring "Apology Song," where frontman Colin Meloy apologizes to a childhood pal for the loss of a bike.

Every song on here is essentially folky and balladic, with Meloy's sea-shanty singing over mostly acoustic instrumentation. Admittedly it gets a bit monotonous musically, but the Decemberists had clearly grown in their literate songwriting by this point.

Meloy's is not quite the voice of an angel; it's a bit too nasal and flat for that. But it is admittedly charming when he sings about the sea and boyhood bike thefts. Musically, the songs are pleasant to the ear. But they are similar in style, which gets a bit monotonous, with the acoustic guitar is backed by steel guitarist Chris Funk and some mellow drums, as well as a slew of muted oddball instruments.

The songwriting is pretty uneven here -- while the writing of "Apology Song" is simplistic and a bit dull, "My Mother Was A Chinese Trapeze Artist" is absurdly whimsical and charming, the tale of a kid born to "a Chinese trapeze artist/In pre-war Paris/Smuggling bombs for the underground," who is born in a brothel and gambled away to (what else?) a brigadier on a ship.

The "5 Songs" EP is a charming bit of folk-pop, but it lacks substance in some songs. A pretty listen -- just skip the "Apology Song."