Advanced Search >
Help Me Search

Music

All-Time High (And Low) Scores
Best of 2009
Best of 2008
Best of 2007
Best of 2006
Best of 2005
Best of 2004
Best of 2003
Best of 2002
Best of 2001
Best of 2000
Best of the Decade

Upcoming &
Recent Releases

sort by namesort by score

75 2562
54 30 Seconds to Mars
62 50 Cent
71 AC/DC
70 The Album Leaf
52 Kris Allen
68 Tori Amos
66 Animal Collective
84 Animal Collective
77 Annie
57 Apse
63 Asobi Seksu
59 Bad Lieutenant
83 Julianna Barwick
82 Beach House
72 Beak>
72 Bibio
65 Justin Bieber
76 Biffy Clyro
74 Blakroc
75 Mary J. Blige
78 Blockhead
52 Bon Jovi
54 Susan Boyle
57 The Bravery
39 Chris Brown
64 V.V. Brown
70 Basia Bulat
79 Chew Lips
74 Citay
65 Clipse
66 Cold War Kids
75 The Cribs
58 Dashboard Confessional
81 Dave Rawlings Machine
70 Delphic
78 The Doors
58 Echo & The Bunnymen
73 Edan
59 Editors
69 Eels
80 Felt
74 First Aid Kit
69 Flyleaf
83 Four Tet
82 Ben Frost
82 Fucked Up
83 Charlotte Gainsbourg
63 The Gilded Palace Of Sin
68 Githead
65 Joe Goddard
58 Good Shoes
72 Gucci Mane
75 Holopaw
82 Jesca Hoop
79 Hot Chip
72 The Hot Rats
88 Ray Wylie Hubbard
54 Hurricane Chris
66 Allison Iraheta
59 Jay Sean
82 Freedy Johnston
57 Nick Jonas And The Administration
73 Norah Jones
49 Juvenile
58 Ke$ha
62 R. Kelly
66 Alicia Keys
68 Kid Sister
81 King Midas Sound
63 Lady Antebellum
76 Lady GaGa
71 Adam Lambert
78 Lawrence Arabia
61 Leona Lewis
74 Lightspeed Champion
36 Lil Wayne
82 Lindstrom & Christabelle
77 Lissie
78 Los Campesinos!
70 Lostprophets
73 Magnetic Fields
72 Massive Attack
64 John Mayer
71 Paul McCartney
58 Katherine McPhee
86 Memory Tapes
72 Midlake
88 Motion City Soundtrack
63 Mr. Hudson
53 Mudvayne
75 Oh No Ono
70 OK Go
72 Ola Podrida
61 OneRepublic
80 Owen Pallett
80 Pantha du Prince
90 Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
80 Phantogram
60 Pit Er Pat
63 Priestess
70 Radian
79 Corinne Bailey Rae
54 Rakim
79 Real Estate
77 Retribution Gospel Choir
76 Rihanna
64 Rjd2
65 Omar Rodriguez-Lopez
77 Sade
77 Gil Scott-Heron
72 Shakira
82 Shining
61 Snoop Dogg
62 Snow Patrol
71 The Soft Pack
80 Spoon
64 Ringo Starr
59 Stereophonics
76 Angie Stone
79 Surfer Blood
74 Switchfoot
75 Them Crooked Vultures
74 Robin Thicke
50 Timbaland
79 tUnE-YaRDs
80 Vampire Weekend
79 Laura Veirs
79 Tom Waits
78 Wale
65 The Watson Twins
66 Kanye West
76 The Whitefield Brothers
64 Robbie Williams
80 Yeasayer
62 Young Money
75 Neil Young
61 Rob Zombie

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.

Picaresque

EMAILPRINTby The Decemberists

The Decemberists reviews
81
8.4 User Score:

Album Info

Label: Kill Rock Stars

Release Date: 22 March 2005

Discs: 1 disc

Genre(s): Indie, Rock

Summary

Chris Walla produced this third album for the literary Portland, Ore.-based five-piece led by Colin Meloy.

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Tiny Mix Tapes

It's hard to imagine The Decemberists topping such a fantastic and ambitious record, but as their previous albums show, I'm sure they'll have no problem one-upping themselves again.

Read Full Review >
100

The Guardian

For fans of chiming, literate, lovelorn pop, Picaresque is an absolute treasure trove.

Read Full Review >
91

Entertainment Weekly

[Meloy's] lyrics skip across history... and overflow with mellifluous rhymes. [25 Mar 2005, p.71]

90

Alternative Press

The more realized updates of [Her Majesty] that crowd out the backed of Picaresque reveal a wit so bizarre and vaudevillian beauty so ultimately endearing that by the end, Meloy's sprawling form of theatrical folk has us all. [Apr 2005, p.116]

90

Lost At Sea

It’s amazing to see how the Decemberists have grown. The songs from their first EP, 5 Songs, seem like a man and an acoustic guitar, where Picaresque feels like a full blown orchestra.

Read Full Review >
90

PopMatters

The effect is one of musical theater.

Read Full Review >
90

cokemachineglow

While Picaresque is a significant step forward, it’s also a logical one. The band’s sonic palette has expanded gradually from album to album, and appears to have come full circle here.

Read Full Review >
90

ShakingThrough.net

Picaresque features some of Meloy’s most assured songwriting... What makes Picaresque a great album, however, is the snug synthesis between the rest of the bandmates playing in relation to Meloy’s verbose lyrics.

Read Full Review >
90

Billboard

"Picaresque" is by far the Decemberists' best work to date.

Read Full Review >
90

Under The Radar

The group had a lot of hype to live up to and they nearly managed to do it. [#9]

90

Neumu.net

This is The Decemberists' strongest release to date, and proves that the group's unique thesaurus-rock has a bright future.

Read Full Review >
84

Filter

The tunes are almost more like short stage scenes than mere songs about people, but the band does well to prevent them from coming off as cheesy allegories so that even the illiterate boors out there can enjoy their downright pretty moments. [#15, p.101]

83

Spin

Though [Meloy] rarely cracks a smile, he finds creativity in defeat. [Apr 2005, p.101]

83

Stylus Magazine

“I am a writer, writer of fictions,” Meloy claims on “Engine Driver,” and that’s exactly what he does, but it’s what everyone else does too, the only real difference being Meloy hits the thesaurus and maritime literature a bit harder than most.

Read Full Review >
83

Pitchfork

In developing into such a formidable flock, the Decemberists not only have far outstripped those ridiculous comparisons to Neutral Milk Hotel that dogged Her Majesty, but have also allowed Meloy to widen his lyrical scope and hone his ambitious narratives.

Read Full Review >
80

Blender

Gleams with emotion. [Apr 2005, p.113]

80

Junkmedia

While the music is as delicious and diverse as ever, the Decemberists' meal ticket is Meloy's unmatched lyrical prowess, which borders at times on mod-Shakespearean.

Read Full Review >
80

Paste Magazine

The Decemberists’ first two records—Castaways and Cutouts and Her Majesty (both in 2003)—felt a touch spotty.... Picaresque trumps them both by dint of its focus, consistency and restraint.

Read Full Review >
80

All Music Guide

While Picaresque follows its predecessor's -- the treacly Her Majesty -- predilection for seafaring and mythology, its boot-covered feet are more firmly planted in the present, resulting in the group's most accessible -- and decidedly upbeat -- product to date.

Read Full Review >
80

The Onion (A.V. Club)

Sounds brighter and deeper than anything The Decemberists previously attempted.

Read Full Review >
80

Splendid

Picaresque is dense and complicated, but only rarely threatens to tip under its own weight.

Read Full Review >
80

Drowned In Sound

Picaresque is more than an indie-pop album, it's a collection of eleven lavishly arranged acts rife with the whiff of greasepaint and the roar of an adoring crowd, which you should be a part of.

Read Full Review >
80

No Ripcord

Their best full length yet.

Read Full Review >
80

Delusions of Adequacy

Another accomplished, cohesive effort that finds the group continuing to tweak without significantly changing its sound.

Read Full Review >
78

Austin Chronicle

Where 2003's Her Majesty the Decemberists unfurled tales of royalty, and debut Castaways and Cutouts talked of the sea, Picaresque drafts a whole new cast of characters just as colorful.

Read Full Review >
70

Urb

This is XTC times Elvis Costello plus the finest moments from the Americana greats and then some. [Apr 2005, p.108]

70

Rolling Stone

Picaresque is a triumph of theatrical imagination: the culmination of the Decemberists' steady march to greatness in four years of enriched storytelling and folk-rock invention.

Read Full Review >
70

Magnet

The album refines rather than revamps the Decemberists' approach; it's the brightest panel of a triptych, not a new exhibit. [#67, p.95]

70

Uncut

Cuts deeper and sharper than previous Decemberists efforts. [Sep 2005, p.116]

50

musicOMH.com

At times The Decemberists sail close to being an horrific hybrid of They Might Be Giants and The Coral - all arched eyebrows and accordions.

Read Full Review >
40

New Musical Express (NME)

Resembles the Arcade Fire if they were from the Renaissance era and rubbish. [23 Jul 2005, p.50]

30

Dusted Magazine

Over rudimentary, skiffle-derived hooks, a kitchen-sink orchestra creates an aura of portent. Then in steps Meloy, doping up the whole affair with empty melancholy until it has to breathe through a tube, wailing big words in a forced accent that conveys despair but fails to signify its cause, fails to signify anything.

Read Full Review >

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this album is 8.4 (out of 10) based on 92 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Danger Z. gave it an8:
Mostly great, but has some weak points.

star dust gave it a10:
Beautiful music.

The Critic gave it a10:
President Bush you stupid bowl of elephant Pee!!! The Decemberists are a great band and are very creative. You DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT if all you can say is "crap" and can't even back up your an opinion. If I was your father, I would take a whip and whip you into shape or tape headphones to your head and MAKE you listen to good music.

President Bush gave it a0:
crap

SAVAGE TOAST gave it a10:
After listening to the cd i thought...holy shit! The lyrics to mariners revenge song blew me away, and so did this album. i think i found another great band to follow. CAN I GET A FUCK YA FROM ALL THE INDIE ROCKERS!?

hibb gave it an8:
Definitely an improvement from Her Majesty, but after listening to it many times, I still can't say I like it better than Castaways. True, it's memorable, but the whale of a track (Mariner's Revenge) had me questioning why I like this band so much. The Engine Driver is probably my favorite song of theirs to date, however, making up for some of the over the top theatrics in the second to last track.

Oliver C gave it a10:
This band is amazing, i sort of feell like nothing else in the world matters when im listening to them...

Read more user comments >

Popular on CBS sites: College Signing Day | Olympics | Lost | iPhone | Cell Phones | Video Game Reviews | Free Music

About CBS Interactive | Jobs | Advertise

© 2010 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy (UPDATED) | Terms of Use