Colin Meloy Live Album

THE DECEMBERISTS’ MAIN MAN
SINGS AND CHATS ON NEW LIVE SET

Colin Meloy by Dave Vann

On April 8th, Kill Rock Stars will release Colin Meloy Sings Live!, a 14-song set documenting The Decemberists‘ lead singer/songwriter’s 2006 solo tour. Meloy’s two-week trek across the U.S. coincided with the release of Colin Meloy Sings Shirley Collins, his six-song EP paying homage to the revered British folksinger. While the latter collection (and its predecessor, Colin Meloy Sings Morrissey) were only sold on tour, Colin Meloy Sings Live! will be available at retail in both CD and double-gatefold LP configurations.

Of the 13 Meloy originals, two are previously unreleased compositions: “Dracula’s Daughter” and “Wonder.” Along the way, he employs snippets of songs from The Smiths, Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd and REM and performs a version of the traditional folk song “Barbara Allen” that owes much to Shirley Collins’ arrangement. The collection also captures ample between-songs banter, with Meloy coaxing the audience into a campfire singalong, discoursing on Collins and addressing the presence of a skull named Cheryl, a ship and a stuffed sheep on the table beside him.

Colin Meloy Sings Live! Track Listing:

1. Devil’s Elbow
2. We Both Go Down Together
3. Evoking a Campfire Singalong
4. The Gymnast, High Above the Ground
5. Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect > Dreams
6. Dracula’s Daughter
7. Wonder
8. A Brief Introduction to Shirley Collins
9. Barbara Allen
10. The Engine Driver
11. On the Bus Mall
12. A Skull, a Ship, and a Sheep
13. California One/Youth and Beauty Brigade > Ask
14. The Bachelor and the Bride
15. A Cautionary Song
16. Red Right Ankle
17. Bandit Queen

The Decemberists will be playing four shows in the Pacific Northwest starting tonight at Portland’s The Crystal Ballroom for a two-night run. Next they perform at Seattle’s Moore Theatre on January 30th and 31st. Meloy will launch a solo acoustic tour this spring.