How “Picaresque” by The Decemberists Made History Cool

By the time The Decemberists released “Picaresque” in 2005, frontman Colin Meloy had been honing his narrative, storytelling style of songwriting for more than half a decade. Despite having dabbled in the theatrical side of indie rock with both Castaways & Cutouts and Her Majesty, Picaresque brought it to a whole new level. This is the story of that album, and how The Decemberists made history cool.

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CHAPTERS:
0:00 How The Decemberists Changed Indie Rock
1:25 The Recording of Picaresque
3:05 The Infanta & We Both Go Down Together
4:31 Eli The Barrow Boy & The Sporting Life
5:22 The Bagman’s Gambit & On The Bus Mall
6:05 16 Military Wives & The Mariner’s Revenge
8:08 The Storytelling Nature of The Decemberists
9:16 The Decemberists’ Influence on Indie Rock

CLIPS REFERENCED:
The Decemberists – 16 Military Wives (Official Music Video): https://youtu.be/E7fzUGR8ZH4?si=WJMv06TCY9FsV5qp
The Decemberists – Colin and John Interview 2007 (Part 1): https://youtu.be/UmbzzE6ZpL8?si=YzIHRHilM2OwJ7i7
The Decemberists – Colin and John Interview 2007 (Part 2): https://youtu.be/pb5Lqa8NmJY?si=cJdSa_9diKqFOHFR
The Decemberists Interview from “A Practical Handbook” (2007): https://youtu.be/EHZMKDZIe3k?si=KuevrLNTc5X17Oih
The Decemberists – 16 Military Wives (Live in March 2024): https://youtu.be/Ejh0qEKbLnA?si=iETpM__xNj8TIKf0
The Decemberists – The Infanta (Live Phoenix, AZ 7/20/24) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VW_HOtbCmKs
The Decemberists – Eli, the Barrow Boy (Live in Manchester) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCLToq-ando
Colin Meloy (of The Decemberists) ‘We Both Go Down Together’ @ Union Chapel, London 01/04/25
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tp5AGkQYDlo
The Decemberists – The Mariner’s Revenge Song – Live at Paradiso 2018 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixlkmVlTkQo

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Written by Poetic Wax