Review #15: Tarkio

Note: Here we have the UO debut of miss Courtney Coulombe; who, you must admit, has done extraordinarily well on this review, especially for a first-timer. Welcome to the (albeit small) Useless Opinions family, Courtney!

Tarkio-Omnibus
(Kill Rock Stars)
5 out of 10

To his fans, Colin Meloy is the nasally-voiced front-man of the Decemberists. He is a man not afraid to adorn himself in the garb of a vengeful mariner, a wily model-UN ambassador, or an omnipotent fortune-teller, nor is he afraid to tell whimsical tales of cattle raids, peasants, odalisques, and royalty. He is the camber-pop revolutionary, who has captured the hearts of many. But before his days of joining up with the “Youth and Beauty Brigade,” Meloy was a college student with minor music aspirations. From those aspirations, Meloy along with Gibson Hartwell (guitar and banjo), Louis Stein (bass), and Brian Collins (percussion) formed Tarkio: a college band based in the Missoula, Montana area, which soon became the biggest rage of the Montana college rock scene.

Nearly a decade after they were recorded, Kill Rock Stars has reissued the entire catalog of Tarkio songs in a single compilation, appropriately titled: Omnibus. The songs themselves show the early working of Meloy’s lyrical genius that would later be thrust forward into the Decemberists. Despite this, Decemberists fans should not expect cheery songs of chimney sweeps, or young Spanish princesses. Many of the songs found on Omnibus lack the musical creativity that Meloy is best known for. The album all-together lacks direction. This could be because Omnibus is a compilation album, but none of the songs are consistent in musicality or even genre. One minute it’s the very relaxed and folk-inspired “Keeping Me Awake”, a few songs later it’s Beatlesesque (circa Rubber Soul) 60’s keyboard jam “Neapolitan Bridesmaid”, encouraging the listener to get up and dance like a cage dancer at Whiskey A Go-Go. A little later some songs even resort to the melodies of elevator music, and some even sounding like Death Cab For Cutie should be playing them. The fluctuation in genre can be a bit arduous at times, but it’s interesting to see the different lengths of musical experimentation the band went through trying to find a sound of their own.

One can overlook the lack of genre consistency but the fact that many of the songs are lacking an impressive use of language can be a bit of a disappointment. In order to listen to this album you don’t need to have that cumbersome tome of a dictionary by your side. The wording is simplistic; the common man off the street can understand every word sung in this compilation, a drastic swing for Decemberists fans that were expecting to increase their vocabulary by another 50 words. One need not worry too much, there are a few gems such as Brigadoon and hackneyed, but that’s all the learning the listener will get out of this album.

Not only is Omnibus lacking creative language, it also lacks concept. Many are used to expecting a good session of story telling from the previously heard works of Meloy; however, these songs are very pedestrian. Story telling was clearly not thought of in Mr. Meloy’s mind when he sat down to write these songs. They’re very normal. There’s nothing special that attracts the listener. There were two brief shining moments, which were preludes to future Decemberists’ songs. The first of which is a song familiar to the hardcore Decemberist fan. “My Mother Was A Chinese Trapeze Artist” appears on Omnibus at its earliest workings. The song still tells the tale of a boy born of a circus act mother and a Russian spy father; it still has, for the most part, the same music. The only thing that makes this song worse is the electric guitar part. Sadly it was shoddily played and sounds like Colin got a garage band together three minutes before hitting up the recording studio. The true gem of this album is hidden in the middle of the second disc.

“Tristan and Iseult” is by far the most promising track on this whole compilation. It has the musicality, the language, and the story that makes it the song closest to the future works of Meloy. The song tells a story of two young lovers who’s relationship is slowly on the decline as they go out for a film and ice cream. The guitar part is played out by a soft acoustic, and the lyrics are welcoming and adorable. Anyone would love them.

For hardcore Colin Meloy fans this will be a welcome addition to their collection; however, I wouldn’t suggest it for the lighter Decemberists fan. It was too much of a disappointment. A noble and impressive collection for a college band, but still a disappointment after hearing the wonder of what Colin Meloy can really create.

-Courtney Coulombe (Useless Opinions contributor)

Key Tracks: “Tristan and Iseult”, “Devils Elbow”, “Keeping Me Awake”, “Eva Luna”