User Score
Universal acclaim- based on 161 Ratings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 145 out of 161
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Mixed: 10 out of 161
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Negative: 6 out of 161
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Mar 28, 2012
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Dec 15, 2012Simply an amazing album. Pretty much every song is great. I remember first seeing the list of songs and seeing that there were two songs that were both over ten minutes long and was skeptical as to how any song could be that long without boring the listener. However, I was pleasantly surprised by their quality. This album is just amazing. Worth the money for sure!
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Oct 30, 2011One of the Decemberists' best efforts, if not their best album so far; The Crane WIfe has a more refined sound compared to their previous works. While Picaresque may have more defined tracks that allow them to stand alone very well, The Crane Wife is smoother and more cohesive, and does so without sacrificing the Decemberists' style.
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WHOct 11, 2006Astounding. I cannot put it down.
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danbOct 10, 2006Very mediocre. Their worst. I'm surprised at the acclaim.
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RichardSOct 18, 2006
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RobertDDec 1, 2006This could be my favorite album of the year!
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mgscOct 25, 2006
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NickYOct 4, 2006The whole album is gorgeous. The entire Crane Wife cycle, (especially part 3) are some of the saddest, most beautiful songs the Decemberists have ever produced, which is saying a lot, seeing as sad and beautiful songs are something of a specialty of theirs.
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JakeM.Oct 5, 2006Someone 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!!!
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MaxFOct 7, 2006Forget Decembrists that you once knew and loved. Forget the dynamic characters, the musical theater, forget the whaling songs, the gimmicky lost legionaries, flues, and parapets. The Decembrists
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AndrewDFeb 1, 2007A true masterpiece, the Decemberists have definitely evolved in their song writing capabilities and Meloys lyrics never cease to amaze. Every song is a world of its own that one can step into, a world that they have brilliantly created.
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JoeBJan 2, 2008
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NathanielNov 14, 2006Despite all the changes they've undergone, and even taking into account the occasional misstep, I can't think of a current band that's as consistently wonderful as the Decemberists. I'm tempted to give them a 10 just for "Sons And Daughters." Incidentally, they're just as much fun live.
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ChadMNov 20, 2006Great record, sort of puts me in mind of Neutral Milk Hotel. This is the first Decemberists album I have heard, so I have nothing to base it on when comparing to their previous ones, but this is solid, in my top 15 albums of the year.
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JohnFNov 6, 2006After much deliberation and close examination, I have decided that this is the best album of the year thus far and the best album the Decemberists have ever made.
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stevewOct 22, 2006literate and gripping , a facinating cd that wil surely be one of the best of the year
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MicSOct 23, 2006Different to previous albums but still excellent, a grower.
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PatWOct 24, 2006Minus "when the war came" every song here is spectacular. Best album of the year.
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mattaOct 26, 2006It is good, not as good as Picaresque or Her Majesty, but definitely equal to Castaways and Cutouts. A few of the prog-rock numbers just don't work, and a couple songs are just plain cheesy, but 3-6, as well as the last few tracks are great.
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crabsodyOct 27, 2006a great album. Definitely one of the best of 2006
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MattLeeMOct 29, 2006Awesome album. Track 2 makes me sadder than it has any right to,
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DanielROct 3, 2006I just bought this CD, and it's amazing. Definitely their best. Where they started out with a very Sea Shanty sound, in their first album, and in Her Majesty, and moved more into a rock/pop sound in Picaresque, and used their epic sound in The Tain, this album fuses all of those together in an amazing way. I may not have good grammar, but I can tell that this album still rocks out hard!
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OliverCOct 3, 2006An absolutely wonderful album. Great new sounds from the band. The only reason it doesn't get a 10 is because it unfortuneately has to be compared with some of the greatest albums ever, namely "Picaresque" and "Her majesty"...
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GetMintyOct 3, 2006We like this.
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JulioCOct 3, 2006Not too good as 'Picaresque", but lyrical and strong melodies.
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faustrOct 4, 2006this album is so incredible it hurts. i cant belive a band could pull somthing like this off. i think that : o valencia" is the best song ever made. therefor this album recives a perfect 10.
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EricOct 4, 2006Certainly a Decemberists' album, but there's nothing certain about it being one of their best. Cut Shankill Butchers and we'll talk.
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ToddWOct 4, 2006
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BenWOct 5, 2006This album is both musically and lyrically brilliant - their best work yet. 9.5/10
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[Anonymous]Oct 5, 2006Simply outstanding!
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CharlesOct 5, 2006Best album of the year, hands down. Last time I felt this way about an album was "OK Computer".
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KeithMOct 7, 2006I didn't think they could top some of their last albums but I've found myself listening to this more than I ever listened to their other stuff. I'm blown away.
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JonathanLOct 9, 2006Beauty
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YaoYaoCOct 9, 2006Certainly the most experimental album by the Decemberists, The Crane Wife is both nothing like previous releases and yet very similar at the same time.
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WaterhouseOct 5, 2007Decemberists' best. Diverse, innovative, and dare I say edgy? In my opinion, flawless. Anyone presuming to review this lower than 8 out of 10 needs their ears thoroughly examined.
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DavidJun 9, 2007I love this album :D I didn't like it the first time I listened to it, but then I listened to it again and realised that it's really good :O
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BMartinNov 3, 2008A triumph!
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JoeEOct 11, 2006
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paolodNov 21, 2006il disco più bello del 2006.
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MattNov 25, 2006
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NathalieNov 27, 2006Excellent album, its nice to see that switching over to a major label hasnt changed what this band is all about. they music is still great..
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JacobMOct 13, 2006
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MichaelSOct 14, 2006The Crane Wife trilogy is beautiful, those two songs makeit worth the purchase. With the addition of 8 other outstanding songs, you would have to be a fool not to buy it.
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SteveMOct 15, 2006The best album of the year. All of the tracks have something to offer, and when put together they make for a very deep listening experience. 10 out of 10. Seriously, go out and buy this album. Now.
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GSpotOct 17, 2006Such a beautiful and rich album, it should be enjoyed in moderation....Like a fine wine or a good sweet. Just the same though it will be something wanted every day and for a good long time to come. This will be on many a mates top 5 of this year, not to mention top 100 of the decade.
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othosOct 17, 2006Best record of the year to date. I even liked the anomaly, "Islands," which would be at home on the best prog-rock records of the mid-'70s. Meloy apparently listened to THICK AS A BRICK and THE LAMB LIES DOWN ON BROADWAY more than a couple of times.
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DDBOct 18, 2006Heinous! 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.
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fiufiuOct 19, 2006the best >06
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ocostaOct 19, 2006as i put the CD on each time a song would finish i'd have to press repeat, its a masterpeice.
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JustHDec 12, 2006I cannot believe I'm saying this but despite the album leaning towards prog rock, I love it! It may be their best work to date. The song cycles are catchy and intense and the standalone tracks are a great romp.
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JarrodLDec 27, 2006
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SYanoffDec 30, 2006Good, but not great Decemberists work. Their previous album, Picaresque, remains their best work to date. Still, this album has two of their best songs ever on it: "The Crane Wife 3" and "Sons and Daughters".
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NathonDec 3, 2006I can't stop listening! I haven't heard an album this great since Death Cab's Tranatlantism. Although the whole album works standout tracks like O'Valencia and Son& Daughters are transcendant. All this in a story book concept with an anti-war message.
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JasonSOct 24, 2006So far, I like it much better than the last. Nothing seems to measure up to Odalisque though.
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MattD.Oct 26, 2006Going to a major label hasn't sacrificed their integrity. While more of a rock/pop effort than Picaresque, The Crane Wife never has a stale moment.
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romanmcDec 9, 2006Great record. There's more continuity on this record, more chance-taking than the past and the band sacrifices their tendency to cloy for more full-fledged sounds.
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AaronSOct 3, 2006The band's strongest and most consistent effort to date. They've managed to retain their idiosynchratic style and add some welcome punch to it. Beautiful record-definitely one of the top five albums of 2006.
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EricWOct 3, 2006The Decemberists have been building up towards their masterwork for most of the decade, and it has finally arrived. They take their winning storytelling elements and raise the bar musically by further developing the diversity, darkness, and prog influences behind their "The Tain" EP.
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MaxB.Oct 3, 2006
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MattAOct 3, 2006First and Most Emportantly... Colin Meloy is one of the greatest songwriters in the past century. Each song is almost like a living piece of art... and this shows in the Crane Wife. I hope that this is just a stepping stone for what's to come later. Im anxious to see where he's going to take us next.
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EdwardLOct 5, 2006
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CAblesOct 6, 2006Brilliant in every sense of the word. Don't miss this album, it's impossible to not like.
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PaulFOct 6, 20065 star pirate rock The Island: Come and See / The Landlord's Daughter / You'll Not Feel the Drowning is an epic (Tha for some bizare reason reminds me of november rain) that I cant get enough of.
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SeanMOct 7, 2006I don't know if this album is up to the level of Her Majesty, but it stands out as an excellent Decemberists album.
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JoshHOct 8, 2006Staggeringly good. One or two comparatively weak songs cannot mask the underlying genius that is evident in the remainder. If, like Jake M., you're not a fan of hyper-literate, narrative-led music, then this is probably not for you, but I'm sure that most will find that the Decemberist's unquantifiable mix of folk, prog and Victoriana irresistable.
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RobINov 12, 2007This is my first listen to a Decemberist Album, and I find myself listening to it over and over again. Fanf***ingtastic album. It has been 20 or more years since an album grabbed me the way this one did. I was introduced to it about 6 months ago, and I still can't get enough of it.
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jtcDec 1, 2007This album is the bomb. Gets better every time I listen to it. If you like good original (yet accessible) music and songwriting, you'll like this album. If you don't, you won't.
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markpFeb 15, 2007Iimagine my soul wandering the countryside learning the secrets of the earth. Of a very rustic yet elegant tenor. Every time I listen to this album I find something new, either in the music, or within myself.
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NONoJun 13, 2008Somethings terribly wrong... how can a crap band like this get raved reviews?
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EricPNov 15, 2006Another amazing album by the Decemberists. 100% quality = 10/10
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DanB.Nov 21, 2006I quite liked most of their first three albums but here something's off, to my ear. Not sure what. It's just... very boring, to me, and a few of the songs actually were really grating. Oh well.
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PaulOOct 12, 2006I just got it two days ago and I've been listening to it constantly. Amazing. I can't stop listening to tracks 3 and 4 especially. It's the first Decemberists album I've ever heard and now I'm going out to get their other albums ASAP.
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TristramCNov 22, 2006
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JMedinOct 12, 2006better and better
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teachNov 2, 2006Everyone talks about prog-rock, but the real spiritual ancestor of the Decemberists is Al Stewart. From the literate-bordering-on-pretentious lyrics to the almost-precious vocal mannerisms, The Crane Wife owes more to Year of the Cat than Dark Side of the Moon. Then, again, I like Al Stewart, so what do I know?
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JoeLOct 13, 2006Meloy has attained perfection once again.
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AndrewPOct 15, 2006Its about the songs; the harmonies, the hooks, the arrangements. Meloy is a true storyteller, in the sense that his characters become the songs. The best album of the year thus far.
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bryanOct 15, 2006Still better then most things out there but a clear drop from the first 3 albums and The Tain. I can only assume that part of the reason it is getting such high marks is how incredible the earlier work was and how much of a connection people feel with the band (I am one of those people myself). Kind of sad it isn't better...
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IdalecioCOct 17, 2006I just give it a 10 because of O Valencia! ...without that it would be a 8-9
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AndyWOct 23, 2006amazing CD, all tracks are melodic and rich. Easily the best I've heard this year...
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RobbieCFeb 25, 2007Totally over-rated.
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BadgerGMar 13, 2007Amazing! Even better than their last album which was hard to believe. Listen to it. Get it.
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alexfJul 25, 2007Great Album!
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DavidFJan 11, 2008A little pretentious. I don't know if that's the word I'm looking for, but it's something like that.
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SavannahCNov 13, 2006The Crane Wife, although not impossible to listen to, sounds uninspired and thoroughly uninteresting. I would give the album a much lower review, but there is nothing technically wrong with this album. Its just really boring.
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AndyDNov 27, 2006Good album, boring at times.
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timeDec 12, 2006Not bad! Reminds me of Television with snippets of Belle and Sebastian only not as good.
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JustinTDec 15, 2006Earth-shatteringly sentimental in a good way. One of my top ten of 2006.
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ReubenFDec 18, 2006A solid although not particularly innovative album. 'A Perfect Crime #2' is a beautifully constructed song, similar to past favourites of mine like 'Here I Dreamt I Was An Architect' from their LP 'Castaways And Cutouts' in 2002. 'O Valencia' is perhaps their most radio-friendly song they've ever done.
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MilesKDec 24, 2006It's been a long time since I've been as captivated by an album... just about every track is a gem.
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Awards & Rankings
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Oddly, the unconventional sequencing and measured pace of the album make the fragmented mess hold together quite well.
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Entertainment WeeklyThe 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]
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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").