Picaresque (album)
| Picaresque | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by The Decemberists | ||||
| Released | March 22, 2005 (US) | |||
| Recorded | August 2004–September 2004 | |||
| Genre | Indie rock, folk rock | |||
| Length | 53:07 | |||
| Label | Kill Rock Stars | |||
| Producer | The Decemberists, Chris Walla | |||
| The Decemberists chronology | ||||
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Picaresque is the third studio album from The Decemberists. It was released in 2005 on the Kill Rock Stars record label.
Name
The word "picaresque" is taken from a form of satirical prose originating in Spain, depicting realistically and often humorously the adventures of a low-born, roguish hero living by his or her wits in a corrupt society.[1]
Recording
The album was recorded at the Prescott Church in northeast Portland, which the band rented for one month in the summer of 2004. To facilitate the creative process and avoid creative block, band members filled a used bike helmet with slips of paper listing strategies and ideas to try out. Non-traditional rock instruments used in the album's recording included an accordion and a hurdy-gurdy. The album was produced by Chris Walla, also the guitarist for the band Death Cab for Cutie.[2]
Release
The album includes the track "Sixteen Military Wives", the music video of which was distributed by the band via BitTorrent.[3] A double vinyl version was released in the United States that contained the album on the first three sides with an EP of outtakes named Picaresqueties on the fourth side.[4] This EP was the band's final release for the Kill Rock Stars label. In Europe, a single-disc vinyl version was released on Rough Trade without the Picaresqueties EP; the fist six tracks appear on Side A, and the final five are on Side B.[5]
A limited edition tenth anniversary pressing of the album on red vinyl was released for Record Store Day 2015. It was formatted as three sides, with the tracks from the Picaresqueties EP as the fourth side.
References in Popular Culture
The Mad Men episode "Maidenform" opened with a montage set to a segment of the song "The Infanta".[6]
Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 81/100[7] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [8] |
| Blender | [9] |
| Drowned in Sound | (8/10)[10] |
| Music Emissions | (3/5)[11] |
| Pitchfork Media | (8.3/10)[12] |
| PopMatters | (9/10)[13] |
| Rolling Stone |  [14] |
| Stylus | B+[15] |
| Tiny Mix Tapes | (5/5)[16] |
Picaresque has a rating of 81/100 on Metacritic, indicating "universal acclaim." The album reached number 5 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart, and number 128 on the Billboard 200.[17] Pitchfork Media placed Picaresque at number 143 on their list of top 200 albums of the 2000s.[18]
Track listing
All songs written by Colin Meloy.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Infanta" | 5:08 |
| 2. | "We Both Go Down Together" | 3:04 |
| 3. | "Eli, the Barrow Boy" | 3:11 |
| 4. | "The Sporting Life" | 4:38 |
| 5. | "The Bagman's Gambit" | 7:02 |
| 6. | "From My Own True Love (Lost at Sea)" | 3:42 |
| 7. | "16 Military Wives" | 4:53 |
| 8. | "The Engine Driver" | 4:15 |
| 9. | "On the Bus Mall" | 6:04 |
| 10. | "The Mariner's Revenge Song" | 8:46 |
| 11. | "Of Angels and Angles" | 2:28 |
Total length: |
53:07 | |
References
- ↑ Picaresque
- ↑ Nelson, Sean (March 17, 2005). "The Fabulist Sounds of the Pacific Northwest". The Stranger. Retrieved April 18, 2012.
- ↑ Katie Dean (September 2, 2008). "Rockers Flex BitTorrent's Muscle". Wired.com. Retrieved April 18, 2012.
- ↑ "Decemberists, The – Picaresque – Release Code: r525596". Discogs. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
- ↑ "Decemberists, The – Picaresque – Release Code: r2367122". Discogs. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
- ↑ Lindsay Robertson (23 March 2005). "That Decemberists Montage from Mad Men Everyone's Talking About". Videogum. Buzzmedia Entertainment. Retrieved April 18, 2012.
- ↑ http://www.metacritic.com/music/picaresque/the-decemberists
- ↑ AllMusic review
- ↑ Blender review
- ↑ Drowned in Sound review
- ↑ Music Emissions review
- ↑ Pitchfork Media review
- ↑ PopMatters review
- ↑ Rolling Stone review
- ↑ Stylus review
- ↑ Tiny Mix Tapes review
- ↑ "Picaresque - The Decemberists". Billboard.com. Retrieved April 18, 2012.
- ↑ Pitchfork staff (September 28, 2009). "The Top 200 Albums of the 2000s: 200-151". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved October 1, 2009.
External links
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