Home → The Decemberists → Billy Liar
Billy Liar
Rock · 2004 · 2 tracks

Billy Liar

The Decemberists

Whimsical accordion-led indie pop and stripped-back acoustic b-sides that feel like reading a dusty novella in a rain-streaked library.

September 14, 2004 · Jealous Butcher Records

Find on Amazon

Billy Liar serves as a quintessential snapshot of The Decemberists during their most charmingly bookish phase. The title track is a masterclass in hyper-literate indie pop, driven by a bouncing accordion melody and Colin Meloy's distinctive, nasal delivery that makes even the most mundane daydream feel like a theatrical event. It is music for the over-educated and the romantically inclined, blending a British Invasion sensibility with the folk traditions of the Pacific Northwest.

Tracklist · 2 Tracks
03
Everything I Try to Do, Nothing Seems to Turn Out Right
4:03
04
Sunshine
2:24
Moments Worth Listening For
the transition from the jaunty accordion hook to the hushed, intimate bridge in the title track
the way the acoustic version of I Was Meant for the Stage strips away the bombast to reveal a raw, desperate vulnerability
the crisp, percussive snap of the acoustic guitar strings on July, July! that mimics the heat of the lyrics
Reviews
AllMusic
Read review
Where This Album DepartsEach spoke is a trait. The orange shape shows where this album pulls away from — or holds to — the rest of the artist’s catalogue. Tap for more.

How does Billy Liar sound next to the rest of The Decemberists's catalogue?

Library+2.1σ

Library saturates this record far more than the artist's norm.

Cassette uses generative AI to enrich its catalog. How we use AI →