Decemberists, The - Her Majesty

For all intents and purposes, 2003's Her Majesty could best be described as the charming older brother to previous outing Castaways and Cutouts (2002). And, while being recognizably related to it's predecessor, it's an altogether different beast. Present and accounted for are the Victorian literary tropes, the rakish mariners, and the Dickensian downtrodden that slouched their way across the laser imprinted surface of Castaways; in Her Majesty a new cast of characters is introduced as well, giving further depth to the richly bizarre songcraft of Colin Meloy: an aristocratic Jewess, slumming it blindfolded among the exotic avenues of a Chinese bazaar, the coifed and coked-up bon vivants of greater L.A., the writer Myla Goldberg, and a pair of affectionate soldiers, celebrating their comradery among the mortar blasts and trench mud of World War I Belgium.