The question I asked myself as I prepared my final entry in the Decemberists experiment was not, “So do they suck?”, but “Why do they suck?”
I was not expecting a surprise conversion before listening to The Hazards of Love – it was flagged by most critics as a challenging album. I thought it might help [...]

I was shocked when I heard the opening chords to the Decemberists’ 2006 release, . (The song is called ”The Crane Wife 3,” while “The Crane Wife 1 & 2″ finish the album, for some strange reason. Oh yeah – They’re quirky!) A single acoustic guitar played, strong and subdued at the same time. Even Colin Meloy’s [...]

After listening to the Decemberists’ third CD Picaresque, I am left with one lingering question: Why didn’t R.E.M. sue them for plagiarism?
The third cut from the album, “We All Go Down Together,” bears more than just a passing resemblance to “Losing My Religion.” It’s in the same minor key, has almost the same tempo, and [...]