Awesome-News-of-the-Month Award!!

From The Decemberists news page:

"The band has been in deep, top-secret hiberno-mode as they labor to finish their 4th LP– which, we are happy to announce, has been titled "The Crane Wife." This lovely would've-been-a-double-in-the-seventies-record (which tip-toes over the temporal finish line at just over 60 min.!) will hit the shelves (and e-shelves) of discriminating record stores (and e-stores) promptly on October the 3rd. Which is two days shy of Colin's birthday. The day (the 5th) also happens to be Carson Ellis' (illustrator extraordinaire, former art-slave, now graciously well paid art employee) birthday, but frankly, Colin got to it first by a year. The band will be doling out bits and parcels of information regarding this record over the coming months as a way to soothe and placate you, the salacious music enthusiast."

Twenty bucks says at least one song is about a whale.

Visit their MySpace page, where you can download two exclusive tracks: a live version of "A Cautionary Song," and an early demo of Part 1 of "The Tain."