2003 : 46 "The Soldiering Life" by The Decemberists

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Jeremy and I have a debate about the Decemberists. He has told me that he finds the Decemberists to be to pretentious—and he is a man with a high threshold for pretentiousness. He says that he cannot stand any Decemberists song that has a subject matter pre-1960. I am on the other side from this. I am not listening to a whole bunch of bands who are singing about history all the time. Clearly there is a space for two or three bands that are making music that likes to remind you of the past. If this was a whole musical genre I might have a different feeling. I cannot think of another indie-pop song that is about being a World War I infantry man in the trenches. There not many bands I think can pull off a song like this. Not only it the topic interesting, but the lyrics are amazing. There is so much in the lyrics that I often have a different feeling what this song is about. I think some of that pretentiousness makes the song better. But you My brother in arms I'd rather I'd lose my limbs Than let you come to harm —Rich Thomas Listen: The Decemberists >> "The Soldiering Life"