I Want To Be Lost – The Decemberists

Portland is buzzing with the recent release of the movie Wildwood. Based on a novel by Colin Meloy of The Decemberists, Wildwood is an adult audience stop-motion animated film that highlights many locations and cultural touchpoints in Portland.

Rotten Tomatoes synopsis…

A girl’s desperate quest to save her baby brother unfolds into a spectacular, high-stakes adventure through a forbidden forest full of enchanted creatures, endearing allies, and formidable adversaries–where an entire hidden realm hangs in the balance.

I have not seen it yet, but I am very excited to get to buy a ticket soon. Wildwood currently has a 99% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

I have been a fan of The Decemberists for quite a while now. Their literary lyrical style combined with an eclectic approach to musical arrangements that ranges from a dreamy 60’s pop sound to punk-influenced acoustic folk often produces interesting singles from cohesive albums. I Want To Be Lost, recorded as part of the Wildwood Sessions soundtrack, is a good example of their style. The guitars jangle. The lyrics are poignant. The rhythm drives it all forward.

I don’t know if/how the song fits into the plot of the film, but I can relate to the impetus to “look for some flicker of light beyond the unknown.” And this newsletter is here because, like the hero in the song, I want to report back what I find.

In the endings, of my wendings, far from home
Will you see me, and believe me?
All my life, the wayward light was within me

I Want To Be Lost