Track Listing

1. Shanty For Arethusa
2. Billy Liar
3. Los Angeles I'm Yours
4. Gymnast High Above The Ground
5. Bachelor And The Bride
6. Song For Myla Goldberg
7. Soldiering Life
8. Red Right Angle
9. I Was Meant For The Stage
10. As I Rise
11. Untitled

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2556 in Music
• Released on: 2003-09-22
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .22 pounds

CD Description
While it doesn't quite measure up to their terrific debut, HER MAJESTY finds the Decemberists building and expanding onthe musical territory they staked out on CASTAWAYS AND CUTOUTS. Songwriter and lead singer Colin Meloy gives further rein to his penchant for moody, gypsy-flavored melodies and literate, evocative lyrics. But whether spinning seemingly age-old yarns ("Shanty for the Aretheusa"), spilling confessional metaphors ("I Was Meant for the Stage"), or admiring young novelists ("Song for Myla Goldberg"), Meloy's songs engageand ingratiate. HER MAJESTY lacks focus at times, but its multi-directional ambition is also what's impressive about the album. There are rock flavors here, and nods to symphonic pop, and the moods range from romantic to bitter to speculative. It would have been easy for Meloy and company to replicate the success of their debut, but HER MAJESTY pushes in new directions, and while not all of it succeeds completely, it still deepens the appeal of this great indie pop outfit.

Customer Reviews

Literary Pop at its Best
I've heard The Decemberists compared to Belle & Sebastian, and although I'm sure B&S fans would enjoy this album, I don't think the comparison really does The Decemberists justice.

Belle & Sebastian stick to songs about the ironies and awkwardness of growing up in modern Britain, whereas The Decemberists sing about the fragility and turmoil of life in the 19th Century. The music isn't ironic either, it's sincere, and you can't help but be drawn into their world.

There's certainly a vast number of good, even great, indie pop bands around at the moment (Death Cab for Cutie, the Shins, Neutral Milk Hotel), but I think the Decemberists are in a class of their own, if only because they stick to and enjoy their subject matter so devotedly. I don't think there's a song on the album which doesn't feature the trademark organ.

I highly recommend 'Castaways and Cutouts', their first album, too.

raw but superb for those tired of guitar bashing heavy indie
just when i was beginning to get sick of the "guitar-bashing" indie bands who thrash out an album full of noisy, discordant, identical songs, i came across "Her Majesty" by The Decemberists. it is such a refreshing album. it is not afraid to branch out in terms of its arrangement, its instruments and its lyrics, and absorbs you totally into this lost and misty world.

they sound raw, its true, and the lolling american accents are not as clipped and trained as those or maroon 5, but it totally suits their music. buy this album!