Colin Meloy on NPR, part I

Joel Didriksen for www.kingpinphoto.com

So, I have nothing to say about the Decemberists or Colin Meloy that hasn’t been said already. I will admit that my fondness for them wasn’t immediate. There’s definitely a certain amount of concentration required when taking in their literature/prose disguised as songwriting. Yet that’s come to be what I most appreciate.

Like reading a good book, the stories and history wrapped in the writing make listening more than a passive exercise. To me, Meloy doesn’t come off so much pretentious as he does the outcast drama kid from high school who was determined to make good on his talents and interests. And damn it if Engine Driver isn’t becoming one of my favorite songs.

Most chatter was snipped from these songs. Tomorrow’s post will have seven more tracks. (Sorry, cutting up and uploading 16 tracks in one shot was too much of a pain.)

[UPDATE: Bob Boilen, host of NPR’s excellent All Songs Considered, left a comment about an egregious oversight on my part. I failed to link back to NPR, which I did a couple of days ago. All apologies. You can find Colin Meloy’s concert in its entirety here. The Live Concert Series page is here.]

Colin Meloy, NPR Live Concert Series, 1/28/06:
1. Devil’s Elbow
2. We Both Go Down Together
3. Engine Driver
4. The Gymnast, High Above the Ground
5. Baby song (about his impending fatherhood)
6. Shankhill Butchers (new)
7. Tristan and Iseult (from his ex-band Tarkio)
8. Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect
9. Shiny

15 thoughts on “Colin Meloy on NPR, part I”

  1. Nice of you to cut up the audio that NPR presented.
    Nice of you to credit the photo that you have on the site.
    Nice of you to link back to the Decemberists site.
    It would be nice if you linked back to the audio files you took it all from however. A lot of people worked hard to get a great sounding show for fans to hear.
    Putting a link to NPR’s All Songs Considered http://www.npr.org/programs/asc/ and/or our concert series page http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5171264 would at least acknowledge the source and let folks hear the whole show if they wish…chatter (and his chatter is fun) and all.

    thanks
    Bob Boilen
    host
    NPR’s
    All Songs Considered

  2. Bob,

    Thanks for your note. That was an honest oversight. In a post a couple of days ago, I linked to the NPR site. Will update.

    Trust me, NPR’s hard work is not unnoticed here. The concert series is an awesome addition, especially for those of us that live in states that weren’t on the tour schedule for a lot of these acts.

  3. settle down, bob. you could have sent him a note, rather than post a smartass comment for all to see. Class.

  4. Jeez, Bob. … Take a pill. The guy goofed. He’s never had a problem giving credit where credit is due.

  5. Thanks Kev. Perfect as always. On that Bob note, you always credit everyone and an overlooked mistake is only human. If Bob has a problem, then maybe they should split the tracks up them selves. I realize he’s not stating he has a problem with what you are doing, but it’s not often I have 1:36:27 to just sit around. Your services are well noted and appreciated. Keep up the oustanding blog.

  6. I’m sorry if my note sounded smartassed. It didn’t sound as if Kevin took it that way, and I appreciated his kind words.
    I hadn’t thought of sending him a note. Perhaps it would have been a better way, and for that I’m sorry.
    all the best
    Bob Boilen

  7. Maybe if NPR stopped using a proprietry format (Real Audio), we could all just “steal” directly from the source.

  8. Thanks kindly Dodge. I love doing these shows, and Colin is a treasure. His song about his child to be is really quite remarkable.
    Bob Boilen
    All Songs Considered

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