User Score
Universal acclaim- based on 98 Ratings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 84 out of 98
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Mixed: 9 out of 98
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Negative: 5 out of 98
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- Most helpful
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JeffPJul 8, 2009
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MarcusHJul 20, 2009A work of sheet insane genius. I'm as gob-smacked on the 100th listen as the 1st -- even more so. This is a truly brilliant creation of fine art and good ol' rock n roll.
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MattAMar 26, 2009
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christianpMar 26, 2009What a disaster. A self-glorifying wank-fest, devoid of the sweetness, the catchiness, the charm or past Decemberists releases. Even worse, it's painfully boring. I winced my way through it once, and that was plenty.
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SteveS.Apr 6, 2009Not quite a rock opera, this is basically a regular Decemberists album without any good songs. Listen to Castaways and Cutouts and Jesus Christ Superstar instead.
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DanielLMar 31, 2009
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TimKMay 3, 2009
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mikeRosenbergMar 24, 2009Grows on you. Doesn't dissapoint.
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AlexPMar 24, 2009Best concept album I've ever heard.
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LaurenceSMar 25, 2009A brilliant piece of theatrical songsmithing akin to the likes of Jethro Tull's "Thick As A Brick" and The Who's "Tommy".
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KerryBMar 29, 2009Another great piece of work by meloy and company. probably my favorite decemberists album to date.
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DanielPMar 29, 2009If it was possible to give this album an 11, I would have. By far the best album of the '00s.
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ScottR.Apr 8, 2009Beautifully cohesive concept album. A great listen, but one MUST have ONE HOUR to devote to the ENTIRE thing. Well worth the effort.
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PaulAMay 13, 2009Absolutely great album. No individual song can stand on its own but as a whole it is a masterpiece. Telling an elaborate story of forsaken love and tragedy. With Colin's eye for words and chilling vocals by guest singers the story unfolds. Best listened to with the lyrics page on your lap and your headphones up to 10.
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TimMJun 23, 2009Yes it is bonkers and proggy but uterly brilliant tunes.
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briannMar 24, 2009Brilliant album a real experience and the more you listen the better it gets.
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MarkFMar 24, 2009Can't see what the critics' problem is! Great performances, great production and great tunes.
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StevenJMar 25, 2009Already one of the best story tellers in music, Colin Meloy and company have painted a vivid, imaginative tale that I cannot stop listening to. I would love to see this as a play.
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EffEMar 25, 2009Not amazing, but much better than Crane Wife.
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AaronAMar 25, 2009
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NolanHMar 25, 2009This is the album of the year. An astonishing achievement.
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GregCouncilMar 26, 2009Better than the subpar Crane Wife, but still really removed from Castaways and Cutouts.
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ChrisPMar 28, 2009Excellent!
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JonathanDApr 18, 2009
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ChrisM.Apr 5, 2009
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RayB.Apr 9, 2009
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MIKELMay 28, 2009A friend lent me this-Cannot stop playing- Slight Pretentious?Maybe. A Prog Folk Rock Opera in Best 70'S Mode-Gloriously So Methinks My Lord! An Imaginative & Captivating Record!!
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MattYMar 24, 2009The bands best album so far. Wonderful visions evoked by the wild lyrics and a cohesive album of brilliant tunes.
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BrandonWMar 24, 2009This is easily one of the best releases of 2009, and a valiant attempt from The Decemberists to move to new ground.
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DeroyPMar 25, 2009Absolutely brilliant.
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Awards & Rankings
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His plot is so preposterous and unempathetic it's more the appearance of a plot, or an elaborate joke about a plot.
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The narrative doesn't get in the way of the tunes, and the choruses are pretty versatile as anthems go.
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The result is both classic Decemberists--all folk pop whimsy wrapped up in darker lyrics than their surface suggests--and a new direction, using the '60s/early '70s folk foundations to follow their logical path into that odd corner of the English genre that somehow crossed over with Heavy Metal.