Castaways and Cutouts
| Castaways and Cutouts | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by The Decemberists | ||||
| Released | May 21, 2002 | |||
| Recorded | January – February 2002 | |||
| Genre | Indie rock, indie folk | |||
| Length | 49:59 | |||
| Label | Hush | |||
| Producer | The Decemberists | |||
| The Decemberists chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Pitchfork Media | (8.1/10)[2] |
| Sputnik Music |  [3] |
Castaways and Cutouts is the first full-length album by The Decemberists, originally released on May 21, 2002, on Hush Records and reissued on May 6, 2003, on Kill Rock Stars. The album's title is taken from a lyric of the song "California One/Youth and Beauty Brigade".
The album cover was designed by the Portland artist Carson Ellis, the long-time girlfriend (and now wife) of Colin Meloy. She has created artwork for each of the band's albums. This is the band's only full-length release with Ezra Holbrook on drums. (He played drums on the 5 Songs EP and performed backing vocals on The Crane Wife.)
Reception
Castaways and Cutouts received mostly positive reviews. The album ranked #89 on Under the Radar's Top 200 Albums of the 2000s[4] and #96 on Pitchfork Media's The 100 Best Albums of 2000-2004.[5] It also ranked #79 on JustPressPlay's Top 100 albums of the 2000s.[6]
Track listing
All songs written by Colin Meloy.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Leslie Anne Levine" | 4:13 |
| 2. | "Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect" | 4:29 |
| 3. | "July, July!" | 2:53 |
| 4. | "A Cautionary Song" | 3:09 |
| 5. | "Odalisque" | 5:21 |
| 6. | "Cocoon" | 6:49 |
| 7. | "Grace Cathedral Hill" | 4:29 |
| 8. | "The Legionnaire's Lament" | 4:45 |
| 9. | "Clementine" | 4:07 |
| 10. | "California One/Youth and Beauty Brigade" | 9:51 |
Total length: |
49:59 | |
Personnel
According to the liner notes of Castaways and Cutouts.
- Colin Meloy - vocals, guitar, percussion
- Chris Funk - guitar, pedal steel, theremin
- Jenny Conlee - hammond organ, piano, rhodes piano, accordion
- Nate Query - upright bass
- Ezra Holbrook - drums, percussion, vocals
Production
- Produced by The Decemberists
- Recorded by Simon Widdowson
- Mastered by Ryan Foster
- Design by Third Eyebrow (.com)
- Art direction by Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis
- Cover painting and illustrations by Carson Ellis
- Inner-tray photo by Jonathan Gitelson
- Sound clip in "California One/Youth and Beauty Brigade" from Archangel, directed by Guy Maddin.
References
- ↑ Cramer, Stephen. "The Decemberists:Castaways and Cutouts". Allmusic.
- ↑ Carr, Eric (March 25, 2003). "The Decemberists: Castaways and Cutouts". Pitchfork Media.
- ↑ "The Decemberists: Castaways and Cutouts". Sputnik Music.
- ↑ newmusicexcess (8 January 2010). "Under The Radar: Best Of The Decade – Top 200 Albums of the Decade". New Music Excess. Retrieved 2013-12-08.
- ↑ Ubl, Sam (7 February 2005). "Staff Lists: The Top 100 Albums of 2000-04". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 2013-12-08.
- ↑ Medlock, Matt (14 January 2010). "Fifty Years of Great Music: The Top 100 Albums of the 2000s". JustPressPlay. Retrieved 2013-12-08.