Castaways and Cutouts
2002 studio album by The Decemberists
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Castaways and Cutouts is the first full-length album by The Decemberists, originally released on May 21, 2002, on Hush Records and reissued on May 6, 2003, on Kill Rock Stars. The album's title is taken from a lyric of the song "California One/Youth and Beauty Brigade".
| Castaways and Cutouts | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 21, 2002 | |||
| Recorded | January – February 2002 | |||
| Genre | Indie rock, indie folk | |||
| Length | 49:59 | |||
| Label | Hush | |||
| Producer | The Decemberists | |||
| The Decemberists chronology | ||||
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The album cover was designed by the Portland artist Carson Ellis, the long-time girlfriend (now wife) of frontman Colin Meloy. She has created artwork for each of the band's albums.
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| The Boston Phoenix |  [2] |
| Pitchfork | 8.1/10[3] |
| Tiny Mix Tapes | 5/5[4] |
Castaways and Cutouts received mostly positive reviews. The album ranked number 89 on Under the Radar's Top 200 Albums of the 2000s[5] and number 96 on Pitchfork's The 100 Best Albums of 2000–2004.[6]
Track listing
All songs written by Colin Meloy.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Leslie Anne Levine" | 4:13 |
| 2. | "Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect" | 4:29 |
| 3. | "July, July!" | 2:53 |
| 4. | "A Cautionary Song" | 3:09 |
| 5. | "Odalisque" | 5:21 |
| 6. | "Cocoon" | 6:49 |
| 7. | "Grace Cathedral Hill" | 4:29 |
| 8. | "The Legionnaire's Lament" | 4:45 |
| 9. | "Clementine" | 4:07 |
| 10. | "California One/Youth and Beauty Brigade" | 9:51 |
| Total length: | 49:59 | |
Personnel
According to the liner notes of Castaways and Cutouts.
- Colin Meloy – vocals, guitar, percussion
- Chris Funk – guitar, pedal steel, theremin
- Jenny Conlee – Hammond organ, piano, Rhodes piano, accordion
- Nate Query – upright bass
- Ezra Holbrook – drums, percussion, vocals
Production
- Produced by The Decemberists
- Recorded by Simon Widdowson
- Mastered by Ryan Foster
- Design by Third Eyebrow (.com)
- Art direction by Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis
- Cover painting and illustrations by Carson Ellis
- Inner-tray photo by Jonathan Gitelson
- Sound clip in "California One/Youth and Beauty Brigade" from Archangel, directed by Guy Maddin.