Instead of doing a cheesy, greatest hits send off before the band goes on a full hiatus, The Decemberists decided to put forth a worthy compilation of their live craft. We Raise Our Voices to the Air attempts to capture what the band are best at, and while their studio albums aren’t lackluster, like such bands as Widespread Panic (love ya guys, but those studio albums don’t do you justice), or The Grateful Dead, the live show is where The Decemberists really shine. Here, the listener misses out on many of the visual aspects that make a Decemberists’ show the stunning events that they are, but that doesn’t mean that this is a terrible album by any means, but may be this years best live offering as of yet.

The greatest elements of a Decemberist show include the costumes, elaborate stage production, and crowd involvement. While you get one of those elements, the other two fall by the wayside; all three are vital elements to their live show, and thus this album suffers from those missing aesthetics.

However, this album has an extraordinary amount of substance to offer. It clocks in at about two hours and spans a period of approximately four months of shows, with the best renditions making the cut. A nice addition is chief songwriter and lead man Colin Meloy’s humor (there is a hilarious jab at Keith Urban that opens the album). Sara Watkins, formerly of Nickel Creek fame (another band on hiatus) makes an appearance on this record, and her violin is a great complement to the band’s sound.

The band does put out some stand out tracks, which includes the complete “Crane Wife 1,2, &3;” at just over 16 minutes, this is the albums finest cut. Also included is Meloy’s worst and finest examples of songwriting on one track; “Dracula’s Daughter > O, Valencia!” is one of those rarities that most bands wouldn’t dare to perform. If you’re not on the floor laughing over “Dracula’s Daughter” then I deny your humanity.

The hallmark of a great live album always comes down to fan participation and the atmosphere they bring to the album. We Raise is full of it, climaxing with the track “The Mariner’s Revenge Song” where the audience is asked to imitate the sound of a humans being swallowed by a whale. The results are hilarious and frightening at the same time.

The full documented live show, as well as the greatest hits album, is not in The Decemberists character. We Raise does a pretty good job of filling the void, but again it’s not without it’s missteps. The album is full of triumphs as well; in a way, this is the best anybody could have expected from one of the best bands of the past decade.

Album Rating: Buy It on CD or Vinyl

Listening Co-efficient: Passive Listen

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