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Named both in reference to the Russian Decembrist Revolt (Explaining their use of the National Anthem of the Soviet Union as an introduction at each concert) and to the atmosphere associated with the month of December, the Decemberists write songs that range from upbeat pop to instrumentally lush ballads, and often employ instruments like the accordion, Hammond organ, Wurlitzer organ, and upright bass. In their lyrics, they eschew the angst and introspection common to modern rock, instead favoring a storytelling approach, as evidenced in songs such as “My Mother Was A Chinese Trapeze Artist” from the 5 Songs EP and “The Mariner’s Revenge Song” on 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. Early in their career, The Decemberists’ musical and lyrical aesthetics frequently prompted critics to compare them to Neutral Milk Hotel. Since their debut, their sound has undergone a consistent evolution, most notably in the direction of progressive rock with a strong folk influence, though they have also been described as indie rock and, by Stephen Colbert, as “hyper-literate prog rock”. For example, one song, “When the War Came”, uses a little-known story from the Siege of Leningrad to describe the heroism of civilian scientists during warfare . The lyrics state: “We made our oath to Vavilov/We’d not betray the solanum/The acres of asteraceae/To our own pangs of starvation”. Nikolai Ivanovich Vavilov was a Russian botanist whose laboratory, a seedbank containing 200,000 types of plant seeds, many of them edible, was preserved throughout the siege, during which hundreds of thousands of people died.
In March 2005, the Decemberists were reportedly the first band to distribute a music video via BitTorrent — the self-produced “16 Military Wives” (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 an eBay auction, with buyers bidding for copies of Colin Meloy Sings Morrissey and original art work by Carson Ellis. They also received help from Lee Kruger, 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, and a fair amount of the band’s merchandise, but the instruments and equipment were not recovered.
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