December is here

This week I’ll be talking about the band, The Decemberists.

The Decemberists are an American quintet from Portland Oregon. The lead guitarist and song writer is Colin Meloy. The other members of the band are Chris Funk, who plays the guitar as well. Jenny Conlee is the band’s lead accordionists and keyboardist. She is even featured playing the violin in some songs. Nate Query is the band’s lead bassist and John Moen is on the drums.

The band’s name has it’s origins in the Russian Decemberist Revolt of 1825, in which a small legion of Russia’s army tried to overthrow the self proclaimed Czar of the time. This may also explain why the band has been known to open concerts with the National Anthem of the Soviet Union.

The Decemberists’ songs are usually mellow ballads that tell a story over the course of the whole track. Their indie rock sound has often been compared to the sound of 90′s band, Neutral Milk Hotel. If you’re a fan of Neutral Milk, then The Decemberists might be your kind of music.

The Decemberists were also the first band to release a music video via bit torrent with their song, 16 Military Wives, from the album, Picaresque.

If you think that you like The Decemberists  or you’re just interested in listening to some of their music, here are a few of their more notable songs from varying albums.  Summer Song, from the album, Picaresque. The Mariner’s Revenge Song, from the album, The Crane Wife. The Legionnaire’s Lament, from the album, Castaways and Cutouts.

That’s Amuseing

This week I’ll be talking about the “new progressive” band, Muse.

The band hails from the English county of Devon. The members are Matthew Bellamy, Dominic Howard, and Chris Wolstenholme. Chris is the bassist for the group and Matt is more than proficient as the lead guitarist. However, both of them grace the band with unrivaled vocals set to inspiring lyrics. Dominic Howard completes the band with an unprecedented affinity for the drums.

The band was formed in 1994 under the title of Rocket Baby Dolls. One evening the band preformed at a local battle of the bands and, in a form of protest, destroyed their equipment during the performance. What happened next, shocked the members of Rocket Baby Dolls more than anyone. They won the battle of the bands. Astounded that the crowd actually liked their gig, the members of the band decided to adopt a more serious attitude towards managing their music. This new leaf involved each of the band members quiting school and/or work and changing the band’s name to “Muse.”

Muse’s music incorporates alternative and hard rock with classical and electronic sounds to create a genre that some call, “new prog.” Some other bands who are considered to be in this genre are Coheed and Cambria and Mystery Jets. So if you like either of those bands, I would definitely suggest checking out Muse.

Muse’s second album, Origins of Symmetry, which was released in 2001, was a chance for the band to experiment with some instruments such as church organs or an expanded drum set. Some tracks from the album are, New Born, Plug in Baby and Bliss.

Muse’s most recent album, Black Holes and Revelations was hailed as one of the greatest albums of the year when it was released in July of 2006. Some of the songs from that album are Starlight, Knights of Cydonia, and Supermassive Black Hole.