Lead singer, songwriter, guitarist Colin Meloy of the indie pop quartet The Decemberists. The group hails from Portland, Oregon. Meloy is known for using "10-dollar words" in his songs, and for "creating character studies that wouldn't sound out of place in a Victorian novel."

The Decemberists recently released their fourth album, The Crane Wife. (Capitol) which is their first on a major label. One reviewer writes "It... rocks harder than anything they've done previously, a watershed moment for a band as much noted for its idiosyncrasies as its songs." In December, the band entered into a tongue-in-cheek feud with Stephen Colbert of the Colbert Report that ended in a guitar duel.

Copyright 2022 Fresh Air. To see more, visit Fresh Air.