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The Decemberists are known for their slumbering ballads that recount historical events or tales, and have been likened to a modern version of some great 1970’s progressive rock groups – Jethro Tull, ELP and Genesis [The Decemberists are interviewed by Pitchfork]. The Decemberists were formed in Portland, Oregon, in 2000 and the Pacific coastal waters have also influenced their sound, with some of their work resembling rolling sea shanty, something I’m always on the lookout for more of. (Listen to The Mariner’s Revenge Song for a good example).
The Crane Wife, an album that was released in 2006 is based upon an old Japanese folk tale – the result, a very interesting record, and I would recommend you listen to the full album from beginning to end. I guess there aren’t too many bands out there that dip into ancient folklore whilst searching for material to write about, which makes The Decemberists unique, a welcome change …. and dare I say, peculiar? The wikipedia article has a good summary of the story of the Crane Wife, from an interview given by band member Colin Meloy in 2007
“It’s a story about a peasant in rural Japan who finds a wounded crane on an evening walk; there’s an arrow in its wing. He revives the crane and the crane flies away. A couple days later, a mysterious woman shows up at his door and he takes her in. Eventually they fall in love and get married. But they’re very poor, so she suggests that she start weaving this cloth which he can in turn sell at the market—the condition being that when she’s weaving it, she has to do it behind closed doors and he can’t look in. So this goes on for a while and they actually become kind of wealthy. But eventually, his curiosity gets the best of him and he looks in at her while she’s weaving and it turns out that she’s a crane and she’s been pulling feathers from her wings and putting it into the cloth, which is what makes it so beautiful. But him having seen her breaks the spell, and she turns back into a crane and flies away. That’s the end.”
The Crane Wife: Traditional Japanese Tale meets Progressive Rock
