Oh I forgot to say how wonderful the new album from The Decemberists – “Picaresque” is. In the past I’ve thought that their was bit too much of the sea shanty about them. Well the new album finds them sprinkled with more than a dash of lovely indie pop sheen. Songs such as “The Sporting Life” and “On the Bus Mall” are gorgeous. Lyrically inventive, the whole album is a joy. Intelligent, articulate, able to switch between the sombre and playful with consummate ease, it really is a fine piece of work.