The Crane Wife
by The Decemberists
  • Record Label: Capitol
  • Release Date: Oct 3, 2006
User Score
8.7

Universal acclaim- based on 161 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 145 out of 161
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 161
  3. Negative: 6 out of 161

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  1. JakeM.
    Oct 5, 2006
    1
    Someone needs to call b.s. on these clowns. If Meloy's donkey-voiced bleating doesn't kill this, than the "MFA in Creative Writing" damaged narratives sink it in a sea of pretention. Please please please! Enough hyper-literate indie rock already!!!
  2. DDB
    Oct 18, 2006
    1
    Heinous! The creepiest minstrel music ever. And so precious. Bought it because of the high reviews - none of which are warranted. Sorry - this is bad music.
  3. NONo
    Jun 13, 2008
    0
    Somethings terribly wrong... how can a crap band like this get raved reviews?

Awards & Rankings

22
#22 Best Album of 2006
27
#27 Most Discussed Album of 2006
37
#37 Most Shared Album of 2006

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
84

Universal acclaim - based on 33 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 31 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 33
  3. Negative: 0 out of 33
  1. NOW Magazine
    80
    Oddly, the unconventional sequencing and measured pace of the album make the fragmented mess hold together quite well.
    Read full review
  2. Entertainment Weekly
    83
    The jarring faux-metal riffage of "When the War Came" exposes Meloy's limits, but several of these studies in heartbreak and homicide rank among his most moving. [6 Oct 2006, p.68]
  3. Prefix Magazine
    60
    Most of The Crane Wife consists of rehashes of Decemberists staples and by-the-books, cookie-cutter indie pop that runs the gamut between pleasant enough ("O, Valencia!") and barely tolerable ("Summersong").
    Read full review
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