A seventeen-song set documenting The Decemberists' lead singer/songwriter's 2006 solo tour. Meloy was heralded by Rolling Stone as "a master of improbable juxtaposition: arcane, detailed fictions of star-crossed passion and avenging bloodshed dressed up in indie rock jangle, la-de-da choruses, and vintage prog-rock bombast" in a review of The Decemberists' show in NY's Central Park last spring. By contrast, the live solo album presents him in a stripped down, acoustic setting. Of the thirteen Meloy originals, two are previously unreleased compositions, "Dracula's Daughter" and "Wonder". Along the way, he employs snippets of songs from The Smiths, Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd, and REM. The collection also captures ample between-song banter.

It's fitting that head Decemberist Colin Meloy's first "official" release as a solo artist would be a live album, as the bespectacled auteur has already self-released (in very limited quantities and only available at shows) a collection of Morrissey covers, an EP of Sam Cooke songs, and a set of tunes from British folk legend Shirley Collins. On Colin Meloy Sings Live!, the focus is on the author's own material, touching on everything from the Decemberists catalog and recent unreleased solo material to songs from his first band, Tarkio. Recorded over a span of two weeks in 2006, Meloy strips things down to just acoustic guitar and voice, allowing audiences an atypically arrangement-free peek into the noted bibliophile's vast arsenal of song. Fan favorites like "Engine Driver," "Gymnast, High Above the Ground," and "Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect," the latter of which features a nice Fleetwood Mac "Dreams" coda, benefit from the newfound austerity, exposing plenty of previously buried lyrical twists and hidden melodies. That said, Sings Live! is not a landmark album, nor even a superb "live" album, but the sound quality is decent enough (though the "acoustic guitar through the board" is a bit disappointing), and Meloy is a jovial host with his adoring fans, who ultimately this collection of songs was released for.