The Decemberists - The Crane Wife

So the story on this one is based around a Japanese myth, the crane wife. A gorgeous white crane appears at a man’s door with an arrow in its side. Nurturing it back to health, after a few days, he lets the bird go. A few days after that, a woman appears at his door, they soon fall in love and marry. Looking for means to make money, she promises to weave a gorgeous cloth that they can sell in the market as long as she can weave it in entire privacy. This continues and they get wealthy but eventually he peaks in on her one day and notices that she’s a crane who’s been pulling feathers from herself into the cloth, thus making it so beautiful. Upon seeing him, she turns into a crane and flies away…never to return. Take from that what you will, I have many countless interpretations but they’re pointless to share unless anyone actually cares; it’s a wonderful story really.

That’s what The Decemberists opted to conceptualize their 2006 album, The Crane Wife, around. The album’s filled with encompassing song suites that feature various shifts and moods. They’ve always been known as an intelligent band that weaves intricate stories around epic, progressive music that is always cycling through a myriad of waves. And while Picaresque is also stunning, The Crane Wife always hits home for me because of those aforementioned suites; here’s “The Island: Come and See/The Landlord's Daughter/You'll Not Feel…”



Though the entire album isn’t solely about the crane wife, the concept is felt all throughout. And the brilliant closure comes with “The Crane Wife, Pts. 1 & 2” and its soaring melody. It’s a heartfelt closer and a naturally illustrious depiction of the myth. I can definitely hear the picturesque sounds and even now, with their new album just out, The Crane Wife is still such a magnificent listen each time. – Bryan