What's wrong with being high-brow? I'd rather have that than low-brow lyrics... Unless it's the Jesus Lizard.

I think the Walkmen are more overrated than the Decemberists. I'm going to say they've written some absolutely amazing songs, but their albums seem too much to be just ways of housing a few good singles. Know what i mean? I want a Walkmen album that's good through and through, no really low lows or lulls on their albums, then i think their plaudits will be warranted. I have the new one, but haven't even listened to it yet because i feel like i'm going to be disappointed.

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Originally posted by krugulitis:

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Originally posted by DCFan:

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Originally posted by krugulitis:

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they're too precious for me most of the time, though I do admire them for putting some prog on their last album.

this pretty much sums up my feelings on the decemberists. although, lyrically they should be applauded. who cares if it is a bit high brow with all the lit references (i actually like that!). i see them as solid story tellers, and overrated or not, i can't deny that colin meloy is a talented song writer. he puts out better material than the vast majority of similar artists. good lyrics coupled with the bands progression to experimenting with prog (the island was a great song) makes me consider them solid musicians.

actually, i think you summed up my point exactly regarding the high brow lyrics and that you like that aspect. i think that just comes down to personal preference. i generally like a little more simplicity with words....i love when somebody can use simple words and phrases that have a bigger meaning. neutral milk hotel did a great job of this, i think. simple words/phrases that with very abstract meanings. to me, colin meloy sounds like he's reading from a book or something. maybe if i liked their music a little more (not that they're bad musicians...i'm sure they're quite good, i just don't like a lot of their instrumentation and i'm not as impressed with their songs), then i would maybe like his lyrics a little more as well.

you criticize the decemberists for being high brow, but you praise neutral milk hotel? odd. i would think a concept album based on Anne Frank, as well as a series of dreams that Mangum had about a Jewish family during WWII would get labeled as at least a little high brow (in the aeroplane over the sea). especially an album with lyrics with as cryptic as this one.

the decemberists drop an occasional literary or historical reference, but otherwise their story-telling lyrics aren't too hard to dicepher. its not like they are busting out the thesaurus every other word. how is that too much to handle if you can get your head around neutral milk hotel's lyrics?

plus, i find that most people on this forum laud musical complexity and originality - i had thought it was the same way lyrically as well. since when is being a little high-brow a bad thing? isn't the reason most people are on this forum is to find more challenging and rewarding music, than the usual drivel?

i love neutral milk hotel, and i like the decemberists, but i would be crazy to say they both aren't a little pretentious. however, i would be even crazier to view that pretentiousness as an entirely bad thing.

there are plenty of reasons not to like the decemberists, but claiming that they are too "hi-brow" shouldn't be one. especially on a forum like this, and even more so when neutral milk hotel is one of your favorite bands.

i feel like maybe you're either missing my point, or i'm not explaining myself very well (the second probably being more likely). i'm only saying why i don't like the decemberists, and why i liked neutral milk hotel. they're both a little pretentious for sure...especially lyrically. but i think neutral milk hotel pulls it off a lot better than the decemberists, for a couple reasons: (1) jeff magnum was the first to do it, (2) his lyrics are more stream of conciousness a lot of the time, whereas i think the decemberists are always trying to tell a story (and neutral milk hotel is only sometimes doing this...as you pointed out a few of his songs above), and (3) i think that neutral milk hotel was better at using simple phrases and words to create more powerful meanings (and he allows a lot more room for interpretation of these meanings, by keeping it more abstract...and he's able to do it with more simple language). that's just a personal taste of mine (when i listen to lyrics).

i just don't like the decemberists because i think it's been done before (and better), and i think even with instrumentation, they aren't doing anything quite as original either.

all that being said, i really can appreciate others liking the decemberists. i'm not saying he's a bad songwriter. obviously, plenty of people with great taste in music like him and his band. i just personally don't (for the reasons stated above), and i personally think they're overrated.

also, neutral milk hotel is definitely not one of my favorite bands. i never said that, and it definitely wasn't something i was trying to imply. i'm just saying why i don't like the decemberists as much in comparison to neutral milk hotel. i do really like in the aeroplane over the sea, but it's not something i listen to a lot, because even it gets a little grating on me after awhile. i generally like a lot more noise/punk/electronic stuff more than folk-based music. anyway...i hope i was a little more clear.

I don't find the Decemberists to be a copycat of NMH - there are some similarities in sound, especially with the first few albums. But the Decemberists are trying to be storytellers, and they're pretty good at that. Mangum, on the other hand, is chronicling his insanity. He ain't trying to tell no story, he's just nuts. And wonderful.

That's an interesting theory. Has Mangum ever done an interview? Anyone read one, or seen a video? Youtube yields nothing. Hmmm, perhaps the truth about his disappearance is revealed.

Also quick note, I always frown when the word pretentious starts being thrown around due to higher than the usual brow lyrics. Nothing about Aeroplane strikes me as prententious - seems extremely heartfelt to me. No comment on the Decemeberists though.

Mangum did an interview with someone from p4k a little after Aeroplane got released, it got put up recently here. If I'm not mistaken he also got married a few months ago.