The Decemberists - "The Mariner's Revenge Song"

[evans1454]

i have just remembered when i was an exchange student in usa my boyfriend used to play this song to me. times they are a changing

[AvariGirl]

This is perfection! I come back to this video again and again.

[randyreckoning]

Real Americana...folk music at it's best and true self.

[trugangsta4real]

eehhh the accordionist is ok, but I prefer her work with Sparklepony.

[randyreckoning]

@trugangsta4real I like the episode of Portlandia she was in.

[buttercup75330]

I cannot explain what it is about this song that makes me love it soo much-3

[fairrater121]

I like his voice, but they should experiment with other lead singers.

[Xialoh]

This doesn't seem like it should be my preferred style of song. Gave it a chance, and I love it. Not sure why, but this is really good. Thumbs up :).

[AlextheHippie88]

This is the first song I ever heard by the Decemberists,needless to say this song change my life. Chills it sends down my spine

[HectorVArq]

o.O Wow never heard them before, damn i like it!

[TheDaughterOfSparda]

They're really good live. :3

[FarmerMichae1]

The only way to make this song rhyme well is to sing it in that accent

[blkbeltmage]

I love the Sparkle Pony

[Lonegambler]

Sheer unadulterated genius. Joyous.

[hedonism13]

Best version.

[AnimeLovingBagpiper]

Love this song! My mom and I listen to it all the time.

PS> Congrats to the decemberists. Look forward to hearing your song on the hunger games soundtrack.

[fishkllr]

@AnimeLovingBagpiper WHAAAA This is news to me Dxxxx!!!!

[AnimeLovingBagpiper]

@fishkllr Just google the hunger games decemberists. It'll pop up everywhere.

[smmakira]

As the tempo rises towards the end of the song, you can just imagine the dastardly deeds going on as illustrated from the preceding vocals.

[mobilegearbox]

one of the greatest store songs of all time, right along with rhyme of the ancient mariner by iron maiden

[hraith]

the girl with the violin is pretty cute

[lokilokiyeah]

My sister loves this song so much I'd heard her sing it probably 30 times before I ever actually heard it performed by the Decemberists.

[TheVimvim]

they are really getting into it!

[codemanx7]

I first saw them in a still picture on last fm and I thought it was Ben Gibbards...

[Welihy]

LOL pause at 2:15!!!

[Welihy]

I KNEW IT! I KNEW Jenny played the first part on the LEFT side (Chords, not keys, like the covers do)!!!! P.S I can play this on accordion ♥ :3

[blackbeltbeatdown]

How the fuck can anybody listen to this garbage? It's horrible.

[Welihy]

@blackbeltbeatdown DO NOT BAG ON MY FAVORITE BAND!!!!!! (Or one of my favorite songs)

[9tailedfoxgoddess]

I love this band, it reminds me of Placebo

[gasshuffer]

dat biitch on da fiddle b sly yo

[mmusicmann]

Just really heard them last week. where do i sign up with these guys?

[rhymebomb]

2:38 "zzzzzzzZZZzzZZZ"

[kildetilhorisonten]

Someone needs to make an animated movie for this song!

[spinspoolsweetie]

This is honestly too good to handle... sounds just like the recorded song. So perfect.

[pokeOneko]

;A; IM IN AWE WITH THIS!

[arfurlife]

this is so so good it actually physically hurts !!! Can these guys be legal?

[jesuriah]

@arfurlife Silly human, crying when they're happy /Doctorwho

[jaybird5589]

colin meloy reminds me of a young stephen king, i mean that in the besst way possible:)

[hedonism13]

@jaybird5589

THAT'S who I was thinking of. Holy shit, fucking uncanny.

[Welihy]

Jenny Conlee= Accordion. Nate Query= Upright Bass. John Moen= Percussion/Tam. Chris Funk= Bouzouki (I do believe. Please correct me if I'm wrong.) Petra Hayden= Violin

Colin Meloy= Voice, Acoustic Guitar.

[skytheshadowninja]

I like this song; it reminds me of my favorite historical fiction series by cs forrester

[unusedbrokenbrick]

It's literate rock music

[emmadilemmavids]

Hey! This is the same set used in Sleater-Kinney's "Modern Girl" video. bit.ly\i9QaV

[kyje1808]

The lady that is playing the violin is Jack Black's sister in-law if anyone didn't know.

[ROFLBOB24]

Why are people calling this hipster??? This is how Euros dress, and to them it's just proper street etiquette.. Americans that dress like this are hipsters.

[Welihy]

@ROFLBOB24 They weren't dressed in formal attire. They were dressed in normal, every-day clothes, as this was not a professional gig. If you've ever seen them live, THAT'S formal attire. They wear suits and dresses and heels, etc.

[TheColoroutofSpace]

@ROFLBOB24 Because they're not European? I don't like the branding "hipster". To me, it means someone who is self-important and pretentious, not someone who dresses a certain way. And they don't seem pretentious.

[ROFLBOB24]

7:13!!!!!

[nuggz503]

sparkle pony

[H3ath3r4596]

this is what music is gonna be in the hunger games?

[animegirl506]

@H3ath3r4

i read that they will be on a companion album to the Hunger Games soundtrack

[DaleDalerson]

who the honest fuck cares if they're hipsters or not? the music is great, and the lyrics are well thought out and have amazing emotion in them, that's all that matters

[duckbbich]

*swigs rum*

[MonsterMisunderstood]

These people calling themselves hipsters are as hilarious as fuck! Haha they enjoy "witty banter," I mean come on people!

[wutuworry]

Does it really matter what label you guy want to put on these guys? Fact of the matter is that this song (and most of their songs) are awesome. It's the beauty of music. You don't have to be into a certain trend to enjoy this song.

You call these guys and their music "hipster", alright cool. Does it make the song any less enjoyable? Nah. So stop all your bitching about what it should be labeled as. It's a great song. I'll be calling it country music, just because i can.

[edurocha05]

The vocalist looks like Dwight from the office.

[Fleetingimage514]

@edurocha05 Colin Melloy looks a lot like that guy from the Office...

[Welihy]

@edurocha05 He did in 2002....now he looks like Zach Galifinakis (or however you spell it, please forgive me). His name's Colin Meloy, btw.

[EnkinXOXO]

At first I was like, ok this is annoying as fuck, then you kind of get used to the hipster vibe.

[levianneu10]

Lesson for today! Colin Meloy- lead singer wrote a book called WILDWOOD. And it is truly a new classic for the 21st Century. He brang his great ideas used in his songs, into this amazing book. Trenton Lee Stewart and Lemony Snicket- popular authors reviewed his book and came up with amazing comments. I recommend you to read this book if you have a love for his band. This book is amazing and once you step in, you won't wanna go out. Keep it up Colin!

[Javaloach]

This is the kind of music i'd actually like to learn to play. It sounds so fun and has a variety of different instruments. I wish my friends and I could gather up and do something like this! Great stuff!

[arfurlife]

a really jolly good band by any standards. Love em.

[viergehirn]

EPIC!

[TWallen222]

Guys. Filming a video in your living room is not what Hipsters do. In fact, if these guys were total hipsters, they would all stop playing, because their music is too well known. Let it go. It's just good music. Folky. Thats enough for me.

[FreddieTheYeti]

>yfw /mu/ is saying this isn't folk.

[lolguy212]

Music videos are too mainstream. Let's film this in our living room!

[Concho2011]

A L U C I N A N T E E E E E E E E E

[MrJASinclair]

Bloody Brilliant

[Fuffels]

I don't know why I like this song so much. All the different parts? I don't know. It's still awesome

[Mrbillsfan11]

@RainaYuuchi I know.  And I don't care much for most stereotypically hipster things. I'm just not going to let other people's negative classification of a band that I like stop me from enjoying their music.

[Mrbillsfan11]

I don't care if The Decemberists are a "hipster band", this is amazing. "Hipster" has become such a vaguely defined term that it can be applied pejoratively to almost anything that one don't like if it's even remotely reasonable to call it pretentious. "Hipster" barely means anything. Also, the studio version of this song is also great, but this performance is better, in my opinion.

[RainaYuuhi]

@Mrbillsfan11 They aren't as 'hipster' as some other bands.

[OnCoGoD]

Tune

[b1ackic3]

If I hold a party , these are the guys I would invite to sing , so fucking awesome.

[Gamezaddict23]

i thought it was the baseball team o_O



[Welihy]

@mbzastava1, they're not in a living room. That's Christoph's Studio. Christoph is my best friends dad and he recorded this.

[Welihy]

People think I'm factually challenged. I'm not, I know things, I'm just scatterbrained so I don't remember them right.

[104coops]

Great song. Reminiscent of Jack the Lad circa 1973?

[mbzastava1]

just because a "hipster" decided to "rock," doesn't mean what they produced was "hipster rock."

they are just wearing clothes for Pete's sake... its not like they are doing a show, they ARE in a living room! i must observe that any pretention here, is purely stemming from the observers, and not those performing a song they have so painstakingly written and performed for no obvious reason beyond the message in the words and the fun they had doing it.

[Eric0rrFailWizard]

@mbzastava1 These guys are way to popular to be hipster! :3

[VriskaSerket]

@mbzastava1 I know rite? Their recording in their living room makes them so underground.

Word to the wise: No one wins 'You/They are hipster(s)" arguments. Especially when you bring up messages in music (even if there is one- here I don't see a message, it is just a kickass song about a sailor taking bloody vengeance). Used to you could win by just saying you were a hipster. Hipsters never admit to being hipsters. But now there are hipsters (like me) who say they are hipsters to be ironic.

[kyler9437]

@mbzastava1 nope their just geeks with talent

[Cabsmell]

Good music always finds a way to get through...(Except for Lady Gaga, she had to dress like Madonna to get noticed)

[bountyhunter8524]

@Cabsmell I love everything about your comment. Keep being awesome.

[chickenyogurt]

Voice reminds me of Jeff Mangum.  Good stuff here.

[arrobaluis]

8 min. songs are great for me. Keep it classy Decemberists!

[mrsmudgeyful]

got linked to this from reddit, frakin awesome!

[thehungriergrue]

this song goes well with rum

[Viingasm]

I hate the accordion so much and it ruins this song along with the guys guitar.

[TmsAws]

this song is so cool, its like tales of ye olden days back in the day...redundant.

[activoDS]

the one playing the accordian a man or?? a lady???? i see facial hair but girl clothes? enlighten me.

cool song tho

[snoopy7393]

@activoDS It's a woman. Wearing a Star Wars skirt.

[Auquis]

Loved everything about this...except for his fucking voice

[colouredbills]

I dont get it

[huntkye]

saw this live. it was awesome.

[funksoldier83]

(sigh) apparently hipsters are still making music, f*&^ me. I wouldn't mind (more power to anybody who enjoys this, seriously!) but hipster rock seems to have invaded every aspect of commercial Americana. This particular aesthetic disgusts me to no end.

[SonnyMoonie]

@funksoldier83 This has nothing to do with hipsters, or with rock. Hipsters do things to be "cool" according to TV. Rock is loud electric guitar and drums. These are artists and what they're doing is art. I haven't heard them on commercial stations. There is Americana to it though, I guess too much for some tastes.

[funksoldier83]

@SonnyMoonie I dig the Americana influence of this. Undeniable folk-music influence (been going on in popular music since the '60s, probably before... think Metallica's version of "Whiskey in the jar" or the Grateful Dead's "Jack-a-roe"), I just don't like the aesthetic qualities that are becoming more and more mainstream and prevalent nowadays. Not the Americana that I'm not into, it's the whole "this is art" attitude. Cultural expression doesn't need to be pretentious.

[SonnyMoonie]

@funksoldier83 I'm sorry, I just spouted off. The Decemberists aren't my favorite music right now, but I was amazed by their songs a couple of years ago. Hundred of their fans wrote better comments, here and at Reddit, not all pretentious, and showing there was an emotional connection. That's what good songs are, not about who's an artist or a hipster or what's rock or some other abstract question. Who knows what makes Americana or historical folk music work sometimes.

[aggmag]

@funksoldier83 It's interesting, because this "hipster rock" draws heavily on folk music and in some cases country or western music. It draws heavily on the roots of music throughout the history of our country and into the roots of the countries from which we came. I don't adhere to the hipster culture, I find it to be populated by adults that can't let go of their youth. As for the music, I find if to be refreshing, yet nostalgic. All that being said, you are entitled to your disgust.

[funksoldier83]

@aggmag Oh there's an undeniable folk-music influence going on here, for sure. I just don't enjoy the aesthetic in which it's presented, it smacks of some kind of pretention. That having been said, it is cool that there's a sense of historical efficacy with stuff like this. Just noticing that the memetic qualities of "hipster rock" are becoming more pronounced as the sub-genre is becoming more mainstream.

[RissasRants]

@funksoldier83 "Hipsters" are "still" making music? This song was released in 2005, way long before it was popular to make fun of "hipsters." You are more pretentious than any "hipster" I've seen.

[MarioBrosClassic]

REDDIT.COM WAHOO IM PART OF THE CUMMUNITY NOW!

[Zenred]

Hi voice makes me want to vomit

[Garuda1337]

Hipster Anthem

[gogators432]

i'm a metal head but holy shit that was good

[b1ackic3]

@gogators432 why the fuck do i see this comment on every good music video? like metal is some sort of restricted awesome genre of music , it's fucking trash and a rooster could sing better than 99 % of the metal bands.

[tegnath]

You got my vote for most shortsighted comment of the day!

[gogators432]

@b1ackic3 bro i think you need to smoke some herb

[areology]

@gogators432 I have a normal flesh head, but I agree, that was awesome.

[ROFLBOB24]

@gogators432 I am right there with you! Huge metal guy, but this is amazing.

[MrKiraguy]

lol hipsters



[waldodak]

booooring.

[bekdot1]

this is one of those songs that requires youtube to install a superlike/superfavorite button.

[AjsherAjsher]

fuck.. that was good.. really enjoyed it

[runningray]

Not sure which I like more; the lyrics, the music, the band, or all three!!! Superb.

[pr3typ0ny]

my favorite hipsters

[Jakedastudly]

I knew these guys before they were mainstream, Hipster.jpg

[SKANKYFish]

This shit is like the ultimate "hipster" band...

[atlantabraves292]

@SKANKYFish lol, most would consider this band fairly mainstream

[skifflebunch1]

I wish more artists were willing to make faces while singing; shaping the notes with the mouth creates a whole new set of (awesome) effects

[seven7years]

This band is from Portland, Oregon. Why does he sing with an accent? -_-

[errantCompass]

Reminds me of Murder by Death. Sweet song!

[countcoco]

(._.)b

[thejxc]

YouTube seems to be broken. I can't see how I can give this more than one + Vote? That can't be a real limitation, surely?

[hjdutch]

fucking commies

[maswal23]

take this (insert popular "artist")!

[guitarguy022412]

I still don't understand how today's music can be as amazing as this, but also as shitty as ke$ha.

[TheReaperKinlord]

I loved this song before it was on reddit

[danielns13]

loved the decemberists for a long time, glad to see them getting a bit more recognition

[567dirt8910]

Stunning!

[cheadessolupa]

Wow 4:52 gave me chills.... Reminds me of the horn that goes off at around the end of Oh Comely.

[chrisw40]

not a red light song

[thenfm]

cure hipster faggotry: MANHOOD101. COM

[jeremiah1499]

goosebumps were had.

[lolboy546]

Hipsters gonna hipster.

[samGQroberts]

@lolboy546 Hipsters gonna hipst**

just like killers kill and fingers fing.

[StOnion]

very cool

[PTPfilms]

Do you know what's hilarious? They go on hiatus the second i discovered them! Now, i wait

[JustForEntertainment]

This is easily among the best live studio performances I've seen on the net. Of any artist -- ever. It being of the Decemberists' most brilliant song is incidental, but certainly a bonus! This video deserves millions of views and likes, people. Share it with your friends; spread the genius.

[mekigal]

oh yeah the priest is going to like my present . It contains many evil souls and the Name is placed square out in front all easy to read .

Hi Brian ! You the Man . Yeah watching your bro's singing it good . Belly of the beast and all. Me and Mary are putting it together . My play date . Not like you are thinking . Making Music not Babies . Get your mind out of the gutter

[nddgn]

the guy playing drums looks like jack bauer

[81ghale]

@Ayyyndrew they are phenomenal. Check em out.

[roosterwood]

So awesome!

[IMETYOUB42]

That's right, Conlee is wearing a Star Wars skirt.

[missmelodysmelodies]

@poemslayer ahahaaaa. Valid point.

[Ayyyndrew]

Y'know...I have never heard of a song by The Decemberists before until just now.

Let me tell you, I just listened to that whole song all the way through and if this is anything to go by, they're an amazing band!

[missmelodysmelodies]

This is probably the ninth time I've watched this.

Today.

I lied.

This hour.

[poemslayer]

@missmelodysmelodies Actually you lied again, you can't watch a 8:25 minute clip 9 times in 1 hour. That's over 75 minutes.

[joegy525]

@missmelodysmelodies Thats too many times to fit into an hour.

[nokeystothecity23]

I have nightmares because this song. Skeletons swim aboard my small boat and kill me with guitars/swords and eat my flesh while Im alive.

[TomMyHo14]

just fu*** AWESOME!!

[Welihy]

Look, people, if you don't like it, that's one thing, but you don't have to diss them in the comments. The people who recorded this didn't put it on Youtube to hear about how bad u thought it was- and the band didn't make it to hear that, either.

[cmorales781]

This is a modern masterpiece :')

[twobirdstone]

FUCKING BADASS

[DylanLeiding]

this song has so many levels of amazing.

[totosuperdog]

One of my all time favorite songs, it never gets old. :)

[Porojukaha]

I don't understand why this is the most watched video of the decemberists on youtube....this is one of their worse songs....There are soooooo many better songs that should be much higher.

[renameddissent]

@Porojukaha Although i agree they have much better songs, i don't think that takes away from this song, i think it's great, also this is just such a cool recording, they put on such an incredible live show and it's nice to see a little of that come through in this video. I'd imagine that's why it's popular, i just think it's really cool to watch them play for 8 and a half minutes straight and keep the song almost perfectly true to the recording. You can see the talent here.

[Welihy]

@renameddissent Okay, for one thing, this is NOT their worst song. This is one of their best songs. The way you tell weather a song is GOOD or not, is not by how much you like it, but it's about how well they can play it and how much effort it took to write. They wrote every single lyric in this song and every single music chord and memorized it on top of all their other songs. Can you do that? You're entitled to you opinion, but just don't judge like that.

[csjvgirls]

@Welihy tremendous effort and musicianship can go into a total crap song also. You don't judge like that.

[Porojukaha]

@renameddissent yeah it is a really cool song. I was just sayin, its not their best.

[altmonkey47]

53 people are rakes and roustabouts.

[coffeebeanisme]

no matter how beautiful the song is, i can't enjoy this video because of how sharp the lead singers teeth look...

[Welihy]

The Decemberists are my #1 favorite band of ALL TIME, EVER! and I must say this is one of their best songs....along with almost every other song they've ever done! :D

Bachelor and the Bride, Constantinople, O Valencia!, The Chimbley Sweep, Red Right Ankle, This Is Why We Fight, Eli, The Barrow Boy, We Both Go Down Together, 16 Military Wives, Sons and Daughters, ETC!!

[Welihy]

My best friends dad recorded this...I feel so special! :D

[Residew]

@Welihy you said that twice.

[madjokes42069]

wow. holy shit. i dont know if any of the band read this but if you do, that was the most beautiful thing i have ever heard. i am honoured that we live in an age where amazing things like that are so accessible.

THANK YOU

[Silbernagel]

@madjokes42069 try mumford and sons dustbowl dance

[bigfriendlyben]

@madjokes42069 may i just submit that such things were more accessible when people actually had a sense of community and connected with local musicians?

[DiabolikalGodH8er]

something this amazing should be illegal XD

[jkid20001]

Stunning.  Heaven-sent. Genius. Absolute genius.

[eunisgrc]

i love the accordion