Decemberists prep Bridesmaid vinyl singles series

"Always the bridesmaid, never the bride." Comfortingly, this little gem of self-pity is finally going to move beyond the clutches of a mouthwash industry preying on the manufactured fears of early 20th-century women (post-feminism at work, people). And who better to carry that torch than The Decemberists, with a series of singles planned for release in the next few months?

The albums, descriptively titled Always the Bridesmaid: The Singles Series, will be released digitally, as well as on three 12" LPs. The first, which is due to drop on Oct. 14, will have A and B sides of "Valerie Plame" and "O New England" respectively.

Yes, if you thought the band's infatuation with the romance-tinted clandestine operations of the military-industrial complex had ended with "The Bagman's Gambit," you were dead wrong. The Decemberists have penned an "amorous" song about outed CIA operative Valerie Plame (hey, write to your strengths). We can only hope for an equally formidable prequel, say, "Robert Novak's Rathskeller."

The remaining two LPs in the series will be released on Nov. 4 ("Days of Elaine / Days of Elaine (long)", "I'm Sticking With You") and December 2 ("Record Year" / "Raincoat Song"). The brick-and-mortar release will be limited, and anyone who pre-orders all three albums will receive a special edition on colored vinyl; devotees can do so right now at the Decemberists' online store. Philanthropists who'd rather support their local LP depository (and good on ya if you do) can go to ThinkIndie to find a participating record store for the upcoming releases.

This sudden focus on singles doesn't mean that the Decemberists have shrugged off their prog-folk mantle. Far from it: they're busy in the studio with Crane Wife producer Tucker Martine recording a follow-up to Paste's 2006 album of the year. Maybe this time they'll finally be the ones walking down the aisle.

Related links:
News: Decemberists to get "mossy, evil" in studio
The Decemberists on MySpace
NPR: The Decemberists: Steeped in history, fiction

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