Previous decemberists records like the hazards of love or the crane wife have been structured around thematic or musical concepts, though meloy maintains that ultimately, its always our frame of mind that ties them together. Description provided by wikipedia under creative commons attribution ccbysa 4. The wildwood chronicles, illustrated by ellis and written by her husband, musician colin. As the decemberists the crane wife celebrates 10 years, colin. Colin meloy was born on october 5, 1974 in helena, montana, usa. Official site with biography, discography, contact information, tour dates, photos, press, merchandise, and links. The reasons behind this segmented and reversed telling of the story were revealved in colin meloys recent ama on. Colin meloy the decemberists interview 2007 scott nygaard. The crane wife also marked the decemberists majorlabel debut. Colin patrick henry meloy born october 5, 1974 is an american musician, singersongwriter and author best known as the frontman of the portland, oregon, indie folk rock band the decemberists. Husband and wife duo, author colin meloy and illustrator carson ellis, discuss wildwood, the first in a new series of middlegrade adventure novels that juxtapose the thrill of a secret world and modern city life. Colin meloy looks inward on the decemberists what a. He is an actor, known for wildwood, parks and recreation 2009 and portlandia 2011. The books will be illustrated by meloys wife, carson ellis, the artist who designed covers for several decemberists albums, including the crane wife and the hazards of love.
The crane wife colin meloy the decemberists busking in. The album cover was designed by the portland artist carson ellis, colin meloy s wife, who has created artwork for each of the bands albums. As the decemberists the crane wife celebrates 10 years. The previous decemberists cd, the critically lionized concept album the crane wife 2006, mashed up japanese folklore and shakespeares the tempest, giving meloy the opportunity to rhyme. Their albums do not cover the typical contemporary topics of getting drunk, getting laid and breaking up. Oct 03, 2006 national public radio listeners voted the crane wife the best album of 2006. Beginning with their first album, 2002s castaways and cutouts, colin meloy and crew sang in ornate vocabulary of archaic characters. Jim palermo introjoe shanahan introdecemberists intro 02. Meloy released a sequel, under wildwood, in 2012, and the third book in the series, wildwood imperium. Writing a book or something, you wouldnt very often return to the material. Meloy made his debut as a childrens writer with wildwood, illustrated by his wife, carson ellis. The crane wife, picaresque, her majesty and castaways and cutouts plus non lp extras. He kicked off the book tour as the keynote of the ajc decatur book festival on september 2, 2011. Id just spent 20 minutes speaking on the phone with colin meloy about his latest projects.
Carson ellis is also an editorial illustrator and fine artist, having worked for the new york times, the new yorker, and poetry magazine. The decemberists songs of colin meloy a collection of. I actually scrapped it and started working on a different version, which became the crane wife 1, and i thought maybe they would work together. Everyones awake my new picture book, illustrated by the very great shawn harris.
After he releases the crane, a woman appears at his doorstep with whom he falls in love. Learn more about the decemberists background, music, side projects, and career. The decemberists album, the crane wife, is thematically based on a tragic japanese folk tale, but band leader colin meloy promises a fair dose of rocknroll. Club last spoke to colin meloy, singersongwriterfrontman of the notoriously idiosyncratic altrock band the decemberists, he was musing over his groups whirlwind run of four albums, a handful of eps, a series of tours, and a jump to a major label, all in just five years. Colin meloy on how signing to a major label impacted his bands exquisite the crane wife, why it isnt a concept album, and his love. Meloy s gift for memorable, lovely melodies made what could be rather. Apr 29, 2010 the books will be illustrated by meloys wife, carson ellis, the artist who designed covers for several decemberists albums, including the crane wife and the hazards of love.
Colin meloy of the decemberists may live on a farm outside of portland and write childrens books, but dont put him in a flannel box. The decemberists, the crane wife music the guardian. The crane wife by the decemberists album, folk rock. Instead they draw their inspiration from fables, such as the crane wife. Anyone who has listened to the decemberists knows their penchant for storytelling. Jan 01, 2006 national public radio listeners voted the crane wife the best album of 2006. The album cover was made by portland artist carson ellis, longtime girlfriend and now wife of colin meloy, who has created artwork for each of their albums. Decemberists prep crane wife box set with linmanuel miranda essay indie folk outfit collects colin meloy demos, unreleased outtakes, alternate versions for fivelp set. The man was now naked from the waist up, kneeling in frozen grass, on a clear night in a cold season that could very well kill him if he stayed. Decemberists push the envelope on crane wife billboard. Frontman colin meloy often wound poetic narratives that always felt. The crane wife 3 based on a japanese folk tale, the jangly oh valencia. Colin meloy isnt a goodreads author, but they do have a blog, so here are some recent posts imported from their feed.
Colin meloy writes songs with intelligence, and i appreciate that. The set is the fivesomes fourth fulllength and their first since moving over to a major label from kill rock stars. Kexp and free yr radio present the decemberists colin meloy performing all three parts of the crane wife live on kexp from the ace. Mar 09, 2012 anyone who has listened to the decemberists knows their penchant for storytelling. The wildwood chronicles, illustrated by ellis and written by her husband, musician colin meloy, was a bestselling series for middlegrade readers. That was the title of the decemberists 2005 kill rock stars album, which came complete with such arcana as a barrow boy, an infanta and a veranda. The crane wife is his grandest enterprise yet, partly.
The band offered a song based on the fable of the crane wife on their 2006 album of. The crane acquiesced with an ease that terrified him, but he could still see it breathing, its chest rising and falling, more rapidly than seemed right but at least still alive. The last great book i read was hunger by elise blackwell. He thought it might be time to take a break and spend more time on a single project. In addition to vocals, he performs with an acoustic guitar, 12string acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bouzouki, harmonica and percussion instruments. Everything exists in wartime in our songs portland indie hero talks about the 10thanniversary deluxe box set of the decemberists. It brings out the malvina reynolds, pete seeger, bob dylan, gordon lightfoot, donovan leitch whom i got to talk to in dingle ireland in 2012, and peter, paul and mary of my generation. Colin meloy on how signing to a major label impacted his bands exquisite the crane wife, why it isnt a concept album, and his love of narrative lyrics. The decemberists upcoming album, the crane wife, is thematically.
The crane wife colin meloy the decemberists busking. Jan 08, 2015 the decemberists colin meloy on chart success and chicken feed michael hann after their last album debuted at no 1 in the us, portlands indiefolk rockers disappeared for four years. National public radio listeners voted the crane wife the best album of 2006. The decemberists colin meloy on chart success and chicken feed michael hann after their last album debuted at no 1 in the us, portlands. This time, he says, the songs share a mood thats steeped in our current times and conditionexuberant. The album cover was designed by the portland artist carson ellis, colin meloys wife, who has created artwork for each of the bands albums. The set is the fivesomes fourth fulllength and their first since moving over to a. The crane wife patrick ness read online free books. Decemberists singer inks kids book about pete seeger. Before illustrating the new wildwood books with colin meloy, artist carson ellis created images for several decemberists album covers, including the crane wife.
The crane wife, on capitol records, is the decemberists major label debut and most sonically ambitious album to date. And as frontman for the decemberists, indie rocks most wellread band, hes been forever flogged for it. While there are many variations of the tale, a common version is that a poor man finds an injured crane on his doorstep or outside with an arrow in it, takes it in and nurses it back to health. The best new childrens books how the gilded age got that way. The golden thread will be a kidfriendly biography of. The chapter, like many in the book, consists almost entirely of. Performing a solo acoustic set for kexps day stage at the ace hotel, new york for cmj 2010. The decemberists colin meloy picks the decemberists best songs. Out today in fine indie and otherwise bookstores, online. Oct 03, 2006 the crane wife employs an impressive variety of styles and sounds to tell meloy s imaginative stories. The decemberists album, the crane wife, is thematically based on a tragic japanese folk tale, but band leader colin meloy promises a fair dose of rocknroll, rape, murder and violence as well. Oct 25, 2016 decemberists prep crane wife box set with linmanuel miranda essay indie folk outfit collects colin meloy demos, unreleased outtakes, alternate versions for fivelp set. The decemberists have carved out a unique aesthetic. The books will be illustrated by meloys wife, carson.
The crane wife in the lyrically impaired altrock world, colin meloy is lionized for his literary prowess because his reading predates bret easton ellis and he knows what picaresque means. But i was never really satisfied with that song on its own. The decemberists, american indierock group known for its highly stylized, literate songs, notably the mariners revenge song, an eightminute epic in the style of a sea shanty, and the ballads on the crane wife. Colin meloy of the decemberists on the classic crane wife. The crane wife employs an impressive variety of styles and sounds to tell meloys imaginative stories. Come and see the landlords daughteryoull not feel the drowning duration. If ever a was a singer born to write ya novels, it is colin meloy. In addition to his vocal duties, he plays acoustic guitar, 12string acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bouzouki, and percussion. The crane wife is the fourth album by the decemberists, released in 2006. Oct 03, 2006 the crane wife 3, which tells the tragic end of the tale is the album opener.
Meloys gift for memorable, lovely melodies made what. Plastic bag in the tree flash hawk parlour ensemble. Colin patrick henry meloy is the lead singer and songwriter for the portland, oregon folkrock band the decemberists. Dec 12, 2016 colin meloy of the decemberists on the classic crane wife. The decemberists the crane wife 2006, vinyl discogs. Out today in fine indie and otherwise bookstores, online, airmail, whathaveyou. Colin meloys ageless voice is entirely unchanged, as purely iron and sharp not in pitch, but in feel. The decemberists album, the crane wife, is thematically based on a tragic japanese folk tale, but band leader colin meloy promises a fair dose of rock n roll, rape, murder and violence as well. Jan 25, 2007 the decemberists, the crane wife 4 5 stars 4. But the crane wife also includes some of the decemberists most catchy and accessible pop tunes.
The decemberists colin meloy on chart success and chicken. The crane wife 3, which tells the tragic end of the tale is the album opener. My first read of 2012 is wildwood by colin meloy, lead singer and songwriter of quirky band, the decemberists. Meloy is calling the series wildwood, a classic tale of adventure, magic and danger, set in an alternate version of modernday portland, ore. Colin meloys ageless voice is entirely unchanged, as purely iron and sharp not in pitch, but in feel youll know it when you hear it as ever before. Oct 23, 2010 performing a solo acoustic set for kexps day stage at the ace hotel, new york for cmj 2010.
Colin meloys theatrical and hyperliterate band makes an unexpected move to capitol records, and delivers a record that matches the ambition. Throughout, bandleader colin meloys evocative, literary songwriting drew from imagery of violence and death, wedding the legend of the crane wife to the historical import of the american civil war, world war ii. Nesss novel is prefaced with a quote from the pop band the decemberists an avowed inspiration, he tells us in his afterword and all the more appropriate given that their lead singer, colin meloy, published his own work of ya fantasy, wildwood, in 2011. Theres the bands usual folkrock, honed to an incisively sharp point, but they also deploy. Meloy well, with the crane wife songs, i started out wanting it to be one song, and that was what became the crane wife 2.
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