The Decemberists: “O Valencia!” (2007)
“Hyper-literate” is an adjective often applied to songwriter Colin Meloy of the Decemberists. And his eclectic influences include British murder ballads, 70’s power-chord prog rock, the Civil War, sea shanties, Japanese folk tales and much more in between.
Meloy definitely favors the “archaic” entries in his well-thumbed thesaurus, giving his ambitious writing a distinct sepia tint beyond the linguistic reach of most writers. But it’s the ability to make all this accessible to the pop music ear that is the true genius of the man.
His hyperliteracy fuses with hyper-catchy pop sensibilities here as Meloy threatens to “burn this whole city down”–in the most appealing pop rock way.
Every Moment Has A Song 