Three Imaginary Girls - Colin Meloy

Bumbershoot preview: how to get the most out of your Saturday {9/3}

imaginary victoria — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 15:48:22 +0000

With over ninety-something options vying for your attention from opening gates until the closing bell, making the most out of your day(s) at Bumbershoot definitely takes a little bit of planning. All the normal festival rules apply: pack light, wear layers, don't forget the sunscreen (and remember pace your drinking!).... but on top of all that -- first and foremost -- get that schedule out and go over it with a fine-toothed comb. We did, and came up with a handful of can't-miss acts and installations to help make your Saturday the best it can be:

Flatstock {all weekend, Fisher Pavillion}
A true no-brainer for the concert-lover in all of us, Flatstock fuses memories of some of the greatest shows on earth with track-stopping-ly gorgeous graphics. For as far as the eye can see -- almost literally -- and for all three days of Bumbershoot, Flatstock displays row after row, booth after booth of a staggering per-square-foot amount of artistic content. With so much talent in such a small space, and no additional costs to check it out once you're on Bumbershoot grounds, you'd be silly to pass it up.

The Decemberists' Colin Meloy to write children's books for HarperCollins

Chris Estey — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 15:27:34 +0000

Most TIG readers realize that Colin Meloy knows his way with a fetching narrative whether in song (on oodles of albums by his band The Decemberists among others, including under his own name) or in memoir (his superb 33 1/3 book on The Replacements' Let It Be, which has been unfairly lost in the shuffle over time). And now those fans who either dip into children's literature for its affection for good, straightforward storytelling, or wish to get their own kids or others' kids hooked on the book, can get them Meloy's own debut in the field, as part of his new Wildwood series.

A "tale of adventure, magic, and danger," Wildwood is a trilogy in collaboration with fawned-over illustrator Carson Ellis. HarperCollins won the rights to the series after five other publishing houses competed in the auction for the rights. The first novel should be in stores in autumn of 2010.

Decemberists: new song, NPR spot, and twitter

imaginary victoria — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 16:50:26 +0000

Download "The Rake's Song" and don't miss the Decemberists NPR spot today!

Colin Meloy and Sean Nelson light up the night at UW

imaginary victoria — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 17:08:24 +0000

4 Dec 2008

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~~I hate Christmas.~~

I love Winter Solstice. There's something to be said for the camaraderie in getting through the darkest time of year together, as a people, I mean. We hustle and bustle, and wrap little treasured trinkets up in scraps of fine paper for our friends; we string lights in the windows and the world is filled wtih the soothing smell of cut greens. There's copious amounts of baking and good cheer. Life should always be this good.

And just as we hang said lights and sparkle up our sidewalks for varying Solstice celebrations, so sat Colin Meloy and Sean Nelson, to add some shine into our season Thursday night at the UW Hub. As he opened up the show, Sean's comfortable banter was immediate and tangible -- a nice change from some of his more big-venue shows of late. His gorgeous pitch combined with those signature chord changes to echo and abound in the warm, dark hall during tunes like "Sometimes You Have To Work On Christmas" and the Monkees' "Porpoise Song." His sets consistently hold that moment that I love, when there's nothing in the room save for willing spectators and sparsely accompanied singer, pulled back from the microphone just-so in mid-serenade. All that matters in those little instants are those singular notes; there are no facts, figures, histories, or precipitations. It's totally pure.

With the stage and room and air still warm and ringing from Sean's stellar set, Colin Meloy ambled out on stage fresh off of Sunday's show at the Moore and proceeded to weave us through a sea of melancholy for a good hour, everything from old Tarkio numbers to tracks from the newest album (due out in March). I've had the pleasure of seeing Colin's solo set a few times now, most notably at the Iron Horse in Northampton, MA and with Laura Veirs at Town Hall in New York City, both a few years back. Much like Sean, Colin's sets don't ever disappoint.

It was a lush cocoon of corduroy and Polaroids, all ventricles and plasticene. The talented (albeit a bit eager) AV club running a light show put forth a great effort that would have yielded a ton of gorgeous shots, but unfortunately there was no photo clearance for Colin's portion of the set. I do have filmstrips upon filmstrips boxed up in my mind, however, perfectly exposed and meticulously framed: all blue-white direct with an incandescent golden backlight for a halo, shifting to an afternoon frontal sunset gleam that bounced from the guitar body to the attentive, beaming faces of the crowd. Sigh.

It was totally fucking gorgeous.

Here's a shot from that Town Hall show back East, to give you an idea:

Just squint, and picture an argyle sweater and a major label.

And as if the night wasn't perfect enough, they had this little gem in the lobby, all inconspicuous, unmentioned and unassuming:

Right. Consistently the best ten dollars I spend on merch at every solo show of his I've been to. I've yet to have a proper sit-down with Colin Meloy Sings Sam Cooke, but I have managed to give this five-track slice of deliciousness a quick once-through -- guh. It's by far my favorite, although there's a fist-fight at the moment in my stereo between this and Colin Meloy Sings Morrissey. Until they're done duking it out, here's one last shot from the night:

That about does it. Review forthcoming, and more shots (of Sean, at least) up in the TIG flickr pool to tide you over until then.

Happy (forthcoming) Solstice, everybody!

A bath of singer-songwriters, warm orange halos, and insidious Northwest ache.

Colin Meloy with Sean Nelson tonight at the HUB

imaginary victoria — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 20:26:48 +0000

Full frontal PNW deliciousness! At a student center! With exclamation points!

Colin Meloy goes it alone

elle — Mon, 05 May 2008 04:53:53 +0000

2 May 2008

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Replete from all musical accompaniment save for his own voice and an acoustic guitar, Colin Meloy proved to be one of the few regarded figures missing from modern society--a true storyteller, full of conviction and speaking in the truth of human nature. While he was once a key entertainer and keeper of histories, the verbal storyteller has gone to the wayside for television and quick to digest tidbits catered for the common affliction of "ADD".

Let us get the record straight here: I cannot get into the Decemberists, no matter how hard I try. There's nothing notably wrong with them per se, but I have not been able to sit through an entire one of their songs. Yet, the one thing I agree with in all the ravings is the masterful way a story is told through the lyrical talents contained in the songs. Taken out of the elements of which I do not enjoy them and put in the single hands of their creator, the tales written by Colin Meloy performed in such a bare way as his solo set were gripping to my heart. Watching him perform for a sold-out Showbox on a Friday night, it seemed the whole world was twinkling, although I'm sure the candlelit bar had nothing to do with it.

Meloy's inflections are curious; aside from reviving a near defunct form of narrative, his voice is not from this era either. As his prose filled the air, I felt moved to inwardly reflect in a darkened moment or be out away from civilization taking in the beauty of the natural world. Across the open room, the younger in attendance were captivated, lingering on his every word. It was said he was flawless, and truly, despite forgetting some of the words on nearly every other song, Meloy could not do the crowd wrong. Any mistake was laughed off and covered up with the crowd already singing along, picking up the errors.

Much to my dismay he did not play "We Both Go Down Together," the eternal love story I fell for while listening to his solo NPR recording. He pulled out three part "The Island: Come And See/The Landlord's Daughter/You'll Not Feel The Drowning." The crowd was held by the time keeping on "The Perfect Crime," undoubtedly the best part of the set. Laura Gibson, who was the entrancing opener and also not of this world, joined him for a duet just before the closing. Ending just around the hour mark, Meloy treated us to near expected encore, the first song a cover of Joanna Newsom.

Near the back in the seating area, I watched as older couples fell in love over the spirits, both the ones you drink and the supernatural entities he had created, they too caught up in the twinkle.

Flickr photo of the day: Colin Meloy

imaginary dana — Sun, 04 May 2008 12:25:18 +0000

"It was fun watching those picks gradually disappear throughout the night."

Colin Meloy Sings Live

Erik Gonzalez — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 04:03:25 +0000

7.5

http://www.amazon.com/Colin-Meloy-Sings-Live/dp/B0013P6TK6/wwwthreeimagi-20/

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Sometimes it is hard to tell what to make of live albums. A majority of the time they are either (a) fans-only affairs or (b) contract-fulfilling obligatory events. In both of those cases, they tend to be less than inspired, a sort of off-hand release that doesn't really add too much to the mystique of the band or really challenge the fanbase. Of course, there are exception: the Police Live, Depeche Mode's 101, Built to Spill's Live (if only for the 20+ minute cover of "Cortez the Killer") to name a few. So, what is there to say about your average live album? Not sure, but I have to say something about Colin Meloy's new live solo album, the aptly titled Colin Meloy Sings Live. Indeed, he does!

I can tell you this, that Mr. Meloy sure is charming. I suppose that says something about a person's live performance. I mean, some bands are so good live it doesn't matter if the singer just mumbles the name of the song (think of any live Cure performance with Robert mumbling "Same Deep Water as You"). Other times, the singers are just enthusiastic cheerleaders without adding much in the way of banter, like David Gahan on 101, whooping it up for each song.

Honestly, most of the time, I like to go see shows for the banter. Billy Bragg puts on a remarkable live show, and a lot of it is his endless banter. He chats with the crowd almost more than he sings, but he's witty, charming and intelligent (and makes jokes about Major League Soccer).

Colin falls closer to the tree of Billy Bragg than anyone. Colin really knows how to sound modest, self-conscious and charming. It also doesn't hurt that he then goes onto play some really great songs from the Decemberists (shocking), Shirley Collins, the Smiths, Morrissey and some of his one creations. I could go on to list what happens for each performance, but I think everyone takes what they want for a live performance. They're good. If you like the Decemberists, you'll be pleased (minus the lack of songs that require the full band like "Mariner's Revenge Song") and if you're just trying to get your foot in the Decemberists door, well, I'd say buy Picaresque, but then you could spring for Colin Meloy Sings Live.

So there, Colin Meloy has recorded a disc of live performances. They're fun, charming and make great "I need to get some work done" background fodder. Nothing really jumps out at you, nothing really disappoints, but if you like you some Decemberists, Colin Meloy Sings Live will keep you happy as they work on whatever comes next. And really, that is what a release like this is all about: keeping our attention.

Colin Meloy is fun, charming and makes great "I need to get some work done" background fodder.

Release the Deals: New Releases From Easy Street Records

Jflores — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 19:04:35 +0000

This week's new releases, featuring Colin Meloy, Foals, Jim Noir, Tapes N Tapes, and The Breeders.

Was Colin Meloy drunk for the Decemberists shows this week?

ChrisB — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 05:09:55 +0000

I was at the Decemberists show on Thursday night and thought the band sounded better than any of the previous four times I had seen them.
But I need someone out here to confirm something about Wednesday's show.

Colin Meloy on Comedy Central's Lil Bush tonight at 10:30p

imaginary liz — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 20:46:22 +0000

Colin Meloy is taking on the role of Jeb Bush in Comedy Central's Lil Bush. He has now joined the ranks of past noteworthy Lil Bush participants like Frank Black, Dave Grohl and Jeff Tweedy - with Iggy Pop rumored to play Donald Rumsfeld in the near future.

Colin Meloy Sings Morrissey

Joseph Riippi — Fri, 11 Mar 2005 08:00:00 +0000

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Meloy_Sings_Morrissey

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Being located on the East Coast is difficult, especially when one's heart lies somewhere between Pike and Pine, in an alley off 12th, inside an empty and discarded Cafe Vita cup. My heart is covered in stale and cold coffee. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

But I still check up on things. I read the Stranger and the Weekly online, usually to assuage the grief which accompanied my morning romp through the Washington Post. I also like to check out the websites of Seattle photographers William Anthony and Ryan Schierling. It's nice to catch glimpses of the Croc or EMP through someone else's eyes.

A couple days ago, I was perusing Anthony's website and came upon a photograph entitled "Ted Younger." In it, an old man, presumably Younger, stands on a sidewalk and strums a ukulele. Singing and smiling, old age weighs down his shoulders into a slight hunch. He is wearing a red flannel shirt and a khaki vest, and it's anyone guess what song he is playing. Whatever it is, it pleases the middle-aged man in the background, hand on cane, smile on face, about to toss a couple dollars into an unseen ukelele case or coffee cup.

The photograph captures not so much two individual people, but the bigger, grander idea about what makes music and art so necessary in life. The photograph gets to the gut of exactly that which matters in music — connection and attachment. Beauty and harmony are not always the most valuable or necessary qualities in a record, for, if they were, Robert Zimmerman would never have turned into Bob Dylan.

When Younger sings, it's hard to imagine anything resembling Sinatra's timbre coming out over the ukelele accompaniment. But Younger, by virtue of his connection to his city and the people in it, creates an intimacy; he has whatever that particular element is which makes us describe people as "grandfatherly."

Younger's music is not veiled with lush production or orchestration or modern arguments over the virtues of analog versus digital, digital versus analog. He is not playing the ukelele with a cello bow, or using some never-before-seen counterpoint in his tuning. Younger, street musicians in general, tear music down to its primary colors: The maker, the listener, the emotional connection between them. Without the latter, the formers are superfluous.

So it is not surprising that something like Colin Meloy's tour-only EP, "Colin Meloy Sings Morrissey" is as great as it is. Meloy, of Decemberists fame, recorded six Morrissey songs with just his nasally voice and acoustic guitars. No Johnny Marr brilliance like Morrissey had with the Smiths, and no accordions or keys like Meloy enjoys with the Decemberists. Just the lyrics of Morrissey, in a broken down form, over a broken down strum, a broken-nose voice. Meloy gave the recordings a no-nonsense title and put them in a no-nonsense plastic sleeve.

To fans of Morrissey and the Decemberists alike, the EP is a must have. It's packaged like a birthday mix cd, and presumably only those that go to the shows can buy the album. Thus the record has more of a connection to the listener than any Decemberists or Morrissey album. The listener, expecting Decemberists songs rather than Morrissey, saw the songs played live, has the memories, made the connection with the musician.

And really beyond all that, Meloy chooses excellent, slightly obscure Morrissey songs for the EP, adding to the "new" quality of the recordings. All are excellent in their imperfection — the guitars are not always precisely together, Meloy's voice cannot always carry the long vocal slurs that Morrissey could, but the warm coziness of something so broken down, the classic songs with such a living room recording, makes it one of the most comforting records to hear. The tracklist is as follows:

I Know Very Well How I Got My Name
Pregnant for the Last Time
Jack the Ripper
I've Changed My Plea to Guilty
Sister I'm a Poet
Every Day is like Sunday

Have a brilliant day.

Meloy, of Decemberists fame, recorded six Morrissey songs with just his nasally voice and acoustic guitars.