A very dark song. But strangely uplifting even though Colin Meloy, the writer and singer, is describing how he kills off his family to be free of the burden. As I said, it's very dark.
I've always had a soft spot for bands like the Decemberists. I guess it goes back to the mid seventies where in between all the Glam Rock and Punk singles I was listening to, somebody played me a copy of Steeleye Span's Commoners Crown album. Or I read about it in NME. No matter. It was very much electric folk and I played it to death. Attracted as much by the songs of death, murder and vice as the great rhythms. And the last song New York Girls was one of the first songs I played on guitar when I started learning.
I also listened to other folk bands with an electric feel like Lindisfarne and Fairport Convention (who proved to be best of all and led me to Richard Thompson records)
Now folk music is all over the radio. The wife and I even went to see Mumford and Sons play the Rod Laver Arena which is massive and the Mumfords came on like a small pub band. Which they admitted they were. I was amazed by the thousands of people there that knew every song.
Anyway love the Rake's Song and when it comes on the stereo I singalong and the kids join in with the ALRIGHT ALRIGHT!
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