The Decemberists – 5 Songs EP (From the Vault)
hey folks! we’re back with some From the Vault discography reviews. after reviewing King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, i moved on to The Decemberists! this series of reviews covers the band’s whole discography, from 2003’s 5 Songs EP all the way to 2018’s Travelling On! this review was originally written in September 2021.
The Decemberists began their release history in 2003 with the 5 Songs EP:
Oceanside is a really fun, nice track. love the horny energy right off the bat. very good opener for this. the opening for Shiny is just…. so much like Kiss Me by Sixpence None the Richer. kinda middling on the track. love the effect of the accordion around the choruses, which themselves are very catchy, but lyrically i’m kinda meh on it. My Mother Was A Chinese Trapeze Artist is fun track, despite the kinda sad lyrics, haha. the narrator’s family history is weird and fantastical and hardly makes sense and its kinda fun. Musically i love the bittersweet country twang that bleeds in around the narrator’s sister being born, and its fun the way the music kinda bends and sways influences with the lyrics. Angel Won’t You Call Me is a nice track, cheery track. gonna be a lot of longing for things out of reach ahead, methinks. I Don’t Mind is bittersweet, with loss and longing, and i think would’ve been a perfect ending track before they added Apology Song (which was added upon re-issue), which is funny and really good but kinda undercuts this track. that being said, it is silly and charming and i really liked it.
faves – Oceanside, Apology Song
dislikes –
on the whole, really enjoyed this! a lot of the vibes i was expecting, but that’s not a bad thing at all. like i said above, my only real issue with this is that i think the EP was sequenced pretty well without Apology Song on the end, and while it doesn’t detract a ton, it is a little disappointing.
5 Songs EP – 5/10
next up, let’s dive into Castaways and Cutouts!
this is the beginning | next: Castaways and Cutouts
Discussion ¬