Reviews

Rolling Stone (p.77) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "[A] triumph of theatrical imagination: the culmination of the Decemberists' steady march to greatness in four years of enriched storytelling and folk-rock invention..."
Spin (p.101) - "The sharp voiced Portland punk-folk troubadour's music is rife with tales of Victorian seafarers and waifish ghosts." - Grade: B+

Entertainment Weekly (No. 812, p.71) - "Colin Meloy is so darn brilliant....the music [and lyrics are] equally eclectic..." - Grade: A-
Alternative Press (p.116) - 5 out of 5 - "[With] a wit so bizarre and vaudevillian beauty so ultimately endearing that by the end, Meloy's sprawling form of theatrical folk has us all..."

Magnet (p.95) - "PICARESQUE glows with it-band imminence....Whether part of the Walla-of-sound production or in reaction to it, Meloy's voice is louder here."