Would you and your majesty care to click on this link to return to the main Decemberists page? Her Majesty? ... I've Never Heard It Called That Before Overall Album Score: 9.0 out of 10 I'm afraid that The Decemberists have succumbed a bit to sophomore-itis. They put forth an amazing debut album, and this follow-up just isn't quite as amazing (probably because it's no longer new). This is a very similar album to Castaways and Cut-Outs, and just about as enjoyable, fortunately. The Decemberists still know how to put together one mightily awesome album! Still going off on that mix in between modern alternative-rock and 19th century music of varying sorts, Her Majesty is another memorable keeper. My favorite song on here is probably the dramatic "Shanty For the Arethusa," which is a fun theatrical sort of song. They get all poppy with another one of the album's best tracks, "The Chimbley Sweep." And, they get folky with another really really good track, "Los Angeles, I'm Yours." All the other songs (note: *all*) are also really good and ought to be mentioned up here on the album overview, but that would sort of detract from the sheer awesomeness of the songs already mentioned and sort of defeat the purpose of me doing track reviews. Hmmhmm! If you really enjoyed the Decemberists' previous effort, then certainly find time to pick this one up! ... It's not very different, which means that you won't find anything new and exciting from them ... but that also means that it's still awesome! Overall Album Score: 9.0 out of 10 (Slightly less of a 'wow' than their previous effort, but that doesn't detract from the fact that this is still a very good album!) Average Song Score: 9.1 (Wow! Another absolutely strong collection from The Decemberists!) Album Tilt: 9.0 (There are some very catchy and/or resonant moments on here. I still like it even if it can get somewhat boring in parts.) Artist Rating: 9.0 (Not phenomenally different or better than The Decemberists previous effort, but a strong one just the same. They're probably among the most compelling new music artists today.) Track Reviews Shanty For The Arethusa 10/10 This song takes a long time to get going, but it's all done in a sort of theatric and dramatic spirit. Right off, they take the reigns from where their previous album left off ... this song both musically and lyrically sound like it's from the 19th century! And also, The Decemberists are still awesome! Hurrah! The tune is good and the arrangements are crisp. Billy Liar 9/10 An upbeat ditty that doesn't sound too much like it was caught in some type of parallel universe with the 19th century. I don't really want to complain about this, but I will anyway: The tune is too simple! But at least it's catchy. Not carrying nearly the same breadth of "Shanty for Arethusa," it's lightweight, but it's pleasant and entertaining nonetheless. Los Angeles, I'm Yours 10/10 The riff reminds me a lot of Paul McCartney's "Teddy Boy," but The Decemberists's song is actually much more awesome! The tune is pleasant and enjoyable ... the arrangements are complex, interesting, and crisp ... the song has some well-developed resonance to it. Yep, this is one mightily kickass song! (AAASSSSSSS!) The Gymnast, High Above the Ground 9/10 This song is good from it's beginning to end ... and it's 7-minute running-length is hardly a burden. It starts out minimal with a dull, rolling acoustic guitar (that's a little bit boring), but when the chorus strikes up, it gets a lot better. ... This is no masterwork, but it's a really good song! The Bachelor and the Bride 8.5/10 This is yet another pretty awesome song! Really nice alternative-rock ... it's tuneful, the instrumentation is good, it has a nice chorus ... but ... I don't know ... I don't like it as much as the previous songs, I guess. Song for Myla Goldberg 8.5/10 Another pretty good song! It doesn't carry a whole heck of a lot of breadth, but it's has a catchy tune, good instrumentation, and ... yep. Another strong ditty! The Soldiering Life 9.5/10 Yay! This is chicken pop for the soul, baby! ... The melody is pretty catchy and the song, in general, is just awesome. Hip hip for The Decemberiststs! Hooray! Red Right Ankle 8/10 Deep, resonant ... the only instrument being used is the acoustic guitar ... and so therefore it is really rather boring! ... Oh well. Still really good songwriting. And it is entertaining, overall. Chimbley Sweep 10/10 A really really good, catchy song (this one, in particular, is inspired by 19th Century music ... it sort of resembles the music-hall stuff ala the early Kinks, or something). I dig the melody much more than anything else ... but the instrumentation is also really very good. One of the best songs on the album! I Was Meant For Stage 9/10 (If you dare click over to the All-Music Guide's review of this album, I noticed that they 'checked' all the longest songs from this album ... they obviously have higher attention spans than I do!) ... Okay, I don't want to say that I don't have a deep appreciation for "I Was Meant For Stage." It takes awhile for it to gather steam, but the wait was well worth it! Because this is another deep and resonant song (as usual)! The Decemberists, again, are totally awesome with this nice brand of alternative-rock. (The end is a kind of neat disarray of sounds ... hmmhmm!) As I Rise 8.5/10 Lah lah lah!!! ... Oh! You're still here? ... Okay. This 3-minute album closer is a pleasant little diversion that brings us back into the 19th century piano pop. Imagine if Elton John was actually 180 years old, what kind of weird stuff would he be playing when he was 20. Oh, baby... Alright, none of that actually made sense, but so what? This is the last song of the album, which means that I can brush it off without talking much about it. Goodnight. Dost thou majesty wish to see thou comments posted on the bottom ofth thy page? Then send thee thy comments here.

All reviews are copyrighted by the author, Michael Lawrence. He's got a trumpet up his nose.