Her Majesty the Decemberists

Her Majesty
Studio album by The Decemberists
Released September 9, 2003
Recorded February 2003–March 2003
Genre Indie rock
Length 48:27
Label Kill Rock Stars
Producer Larry Crane
The Decemberists chronology
Castaways and Cutouts
(2002)		 Her Majesty
(2003)		 Picaresque
(2005)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source Rating
Metacritic 83/100[1]
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [2]
Blender [3]
Pitchfork Media (8.2/10)[4]

Her Majesty is the second full-length album by The Decemberists, released September 9, 2003 by Kill Rock Stars. The song "Song for Myla Goldberg" was written years earlier, after Colin Meloy had been a media escort for novelist Myla Goldberg during a tour following the publication of her first book, Bee Season. "The Bachelor and the Bride" has the words "stripped bare" in the chorus, and appears to be a reference to Marcel Duchamp's piece "The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even".

The album cover was made by Portland artist Carson Ellis, long-time girlfriend (and now wife) of Colin Meloy, who has created artwork for each of their albums.

Track listing

No. Title Length
1. "Shanty for the Arethusa"   5:37
2. "Billy Liar"   4:08
3. "Los Angeles, I'm Yours"   4:17
4. "The Gymnast, High Above the Ground"   7:13
5. "The Bachelor and the Bride"   4:13
6. "Song for Myla Goldberg"   3:33
7. "The Soldiering Life"   3:48
8. "Red Right Ankle"   3:29
9. "The Chimbley Sweep"   2:53
10. "I Was Meant for the Stage"   7:02
11. "As I Rise"   2:14

Note: On some editions, the track list printed on the actual disc is missing the song "The Chimbley Sweep", though the song is listed on the back of the CD jacket and in the liner notes.

References

  1. ^ "Her Majesty The Decemberists". Metacritic. http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/decemberists/hermajestythedecemberists. 
  2. ^ "Her Majesty - The Decemberists". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r649906. 
  3. ^ http://www.blender.com/guide/new/51699/her-majesty.html
  4. ^ http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/2239-her-majesty-the-decemberists/
The Decemberists
Jenny Conlee • Chris Funk • Colin Meloy • John Moen • Nate Query
Rachel Blumberg • Jesse Emerson • Petra Haden • Ezra Holbrook • David Langenes
Studio albums
EPs
Singles
"Billy Liar" • "Sixteen Military Wives" • "O Valencia!" • "The Perfect Crime #2" • "Valerie Plame" • "Days of Elaine" • "A Record Year for Rainfall" • "The Rake's Song" • "Down by the Water" • "This Is Why We Fight"
Other