The Decemberists

From Kill Rock Stars: On the three Decemberists' albums, Colin Meloy’s crafty compositions marry an infallible melodic knack with a venturesome lyrical palette equally suitable for painting fantastical songs full of sea captains, legionnaires, chimney sweeps and seekers of all kinds. Led by these songs, and by a group dynamic that embraces experimentation even as it celebrates classic pop and folk forms -- to say nothing of klezmer, Irish jig, sea chantey, and prog rock -- The Decemberists are firmly established as a completely original happening in the world of contemporary indie rock: sold out tours across the nation, widespread popular and critical acclaim, and an aesthetic all their own.

This DVD captures the Decemberists in the midst of their rise to prominence with a live recording of the band in concert at the Roseland Theatre in Portland, Oregon on November 4, 2005. Playing to a packed hometown crowd, the Decemberists show off their skill as a band as well as their well-developed showmanship as a live act. There are five videos for songs off Picaresque and Her Majesty, as well as a documentary shot during the recording of The Crane Wife in which the band discusses their origins and how they arrived where they are now, in a converted church filled with instruments and toys, making the record of their dreams.

The DVD is also filled with the kind of quirky details that fans love and have come to expect from this band. Illustrations by Carson Ellis, the band’s artist-in-residence, abound, as well as a series of short films shot during the photo session for the album cover photos for Picaresque. An assortment of outtakes, like Jenny Conlee playing melancholy accordian on a late-night street corner and the whole band recording a scream, can also be found by those who take the time to look!