Colin Meloy

On Colin Meloy Sings Live! the principal singer/songwriter for the Decemberists belts loose tracks culled from his 2006, two-week solo tour. Known for their melancholy, bombast and theatricality, both in sound and thematic scope, Decemberists records have spent ample time near the top of many year-end, best-of critic lists since the release of 2002's full-length debut Castaways and Cutouts. Meloy and co. have since garnered a cult-like following with their love-it-or-hate-it, vaudevillian, epic, (and sometimes operatic) indie pop; even Comedy Central's Steven Colbert took notice, famously challenging guitarist Chris Funk to an on-air shred-off. But fame has done little to redirect the spotlight; Live! finds Meloy’s prevailing sensibilities intact, yet it also reveals a playful intimacy lately overshadowed, as his fellow bandmates have grown comfortable filling out the quiet spaces in the Decemberists’ sound.

Comprised of album highlights, unreleased and rare compositions, snippets of oft-covered classics, and mid-set chatter, the album showcases Meloy’s recognizable fiction and narrative, songs filled with fantastical protagonists of all origins: sailors, murderous ne’er-do-wells, petty thieves, anarchist dreamers, gymnasts, incorrigible back-alley knaves and lovers at war with Naturalist-inspired odds. And as the cast of characters from Decemberists' tracks remains, this release never truly covers unfamiliar sonic ground, bolstered by Meloy's six-song EP of Morrissey covers and a tribute to Shirley Collins (available on this solo tour only), both of which he weaves parts of into this performance.

And though his primary band has lately drifted into prog-rock territory, Live! features, naturally, Meloy alone on stage, strumming in rich, acoustic tones, filling choruses with his nasal, theatric la-de-da-dums and archaic and comforting lyrical formulations. Crisp and beautiful opener "Devil's Elbow," a pre-Decemberist Meloy relic, is a set highlight. And you might not have been there two years ago when Meloy seamlessly melted "Here I Dreamt I Was An Architect" into a heartfelt bit of Feetwood Mac's "Dreams," but you may soon wish you were.

—William Morris
04.15.08

It's fitting that head Decemberist Colin Meloy's first "official" release as a solo artist would be a live album, as the bespectacled auteur has already self-released (in very limited quantities and only available at shows) a collection of Morrissey covers, an EP of Sam Cooke songs, and a set of tunes from British folk legend Shirley Collins. On Colin Meloy Sings Live!, the focus is on the author's own material, touching on everything from the Decemberists catalog and recent unreleased solo material to songs from his first band, Tarkio. Recorded over a span of two weeks in 2006, Meloy strips things down to just acoustic guitar and voice, allowing audiences an atypically arrangement-free peek into the noted bibliophile's vast arsenal of song. Fan favorites like "Engine Driver," "Gymnast, High Above the Ground," and "Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect," the latter of which features a nice Fleetwood Mac "Dreams" coda, benefit from the newfound austerity, exposing plenty of previously buried lyrical twists and hidden melodies. That said, Sings Live! is not a landmark album, nor even a superb "live" album, but the sound quality is decent enough (though the "acoustic guitar through the board" is a bit disappointing), and Meloy is a jovial host with his adoring fans, who ultimately this collection of songs was released for. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide