Fresh off a late-night performance of “Days Of Elaine,” the Decemberists are back with Always The Bridesmaid: Vol. III A-side “Raincoat Song,” which fittingly focuses on a woman named Caroline, angry because at 28 she sleeps “like a spinster.” It’s a brief, basic, downcast track that doesn’t go for “Valerie Plame‘s group sing-a-long/epic exit. As its title suggests, it’s more in the vein of the rainy love story of “O New England,” but here there’s no love. That’s the point: “Going off half-cocked / Not shot full of arrows / From the cherubim / Oh, the nerve of them / To not draw their bow…”
No, not as effective as a “Famous Blue Raincoat.”
Always The Bridesmaid: Volume I and Volume II are out now digitally via Capitol and on 12″ vinyl via The Decemberists’ Y.A.B.B./Jealous Butcher. Volume III, which houses this track, is out 12/2. You can pre-order the complete bundle here.
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Possibly the best song out of this whole batch
Agreed
I still don’t get their appeal.
And I doubt I ever will.
I find that hard to fathom! They are the fucking Decemberists. I can’t think of many more lovable bands. They aren’t douchebags, they sing songs about whatever they want and it is frequently quite interesting to hear, they use pretty words, Colin has quite the unique voice, etc. But at the same time, I guess if you don’t get it, you don’t get it.
This song is beautiful.
I prefer Record Year.
But as a long-(long)-time Decemberists fan, this whole batch is pretty sub-par.
hmm i think this is one of their best songs–doesnt try too hard, y’know? malloy’s got talent if he lets it out unadulterated.
i like it alot
All of the new songs have sounded great thus far (though I’m not sure about “Days of Elaine”) so hopefully this means they’ve moved past their “Perfect Crime #2″ phase.