The Crane Wife
by The Decemberists

The Crane Wife by The Decemberists
Year: 2006
Release date: 2006-10-03
Overall rank: 780th   Overall chart history
Average Rating: 
78/100 (from 446 votes)
  Ratings distribution   Average rating history
Accolades:
Award Top 20 albums of 2006 (12th)
Award Top albums of the 2000s (125th)
Award Top 1,000 albums of all time (780th)

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The Decemberists - The Crane Wife [New Vinyl LP]
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The Decemberists The Crane Wife 2LP 12” Gatefold Vinyl 2006 Capitol Records
Condition: Used

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Decemberists The Crane Wife CD Indie Folk Rock Album Capitol Records OOP
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The Decemberists bestography

The Crane Wife is ranked as the best album by The Decemberists.

The Decemberists album bestography « Higher ranked
-
This album (780th)
The Crane Wife
Lower ranked (1,053rd) »
Picaresque

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

Upcoming concerts

Mar
15
Sun
Celtic Woman: A New Era
The Paramount in concert with North, Huntington, United States. United States
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May
02
Sat
M3 Rock Festival
Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, United States. United States
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May
07
Thu
YUNGBLUD: IDOLS - THE WORLD TOUR
Everwise Amphitheater at White Rive, Indianapolis, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 

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The Crane Wife track list

  Track ratings The tracks on this album have an average rating of 83 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

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Track pick (1000 - 100 votes) Top-rated track as rated by BestEverAlbums.com members.

The Crane Wife rankings

Rankings summary
Overall rank: 780th | 2000s rank: 125th | 2006 rank: 12th
Filter Filter
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YearSourceChartRankRank Score
2026 HelsinkiSnorkelTop 44 Music Albums of 200614/444
2026 rambleon80Greatest Music Albums #101 - 20050/100 -
2026LittleM1971Top 90 Music Albums of 200689/900
2026 JMGL95Top 100 Music Albums of the 2000s36/10013
2026 paladisiac21st century top albums 001-1003/100 -
2026 RhynerTop 100 Greatest Music Albums12/10089
2026craabTop 100 Music Albums of the 2000s16/10017
2026UntitledTop 14 Music Albums of 20064/144
2026 LukasAntoine00sTop 22 Music Albums of the 2000s15/227
2026 DommeDamianTop 22 Music Albums of 200614/222
2026joathomeTop 60 Music Albums of 200628/603
2026 RomanelliMy Overall Chart: 2301-240059/100 -
2026 PurplepashTop 50 Music Albums of 200620/503
2026PapaShiz86Top 100 Music Albums of 20069/1005
2026 covecoveTop 100 Music Albums of 200618/1004
2026SkernsTop 83 Music Albums of the 2000s40/8311
2026blueandthemoonTop 100 Music Albums of 200628/1004
2026 RomanelliTop 75 Music Albums of 200662/751
2026 imacgillTop Greatest Music Albums 101-20019/100 -
2026 zags7000Top 100 Music Albums of 200614/1004
Total Charts: Help The total number of charts that this album has appeared in. 413
Total Rank Score: Help The total rank score. 2,217
You can include this album in your own chart from the My Charts page!

The Crane Wife collection

The Crane Wife ratings

Average Rating: 
78/100 (from 446 votes)
  Ratings distribution Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 446 ratings for this album.

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RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
85/100
 
03/10/2026 21:32 Rhyner  Ratings distribution  1,70059/100
 
95/100
 
02/28/2026 00:13 DaveH68  Ratings distribution  1,36376/100
 
80/100
 
02/25/2026 19:46 Map  Ratings distribution  49981/100
 
50/100
 
01/31/2026 06:37 brent13  Ratings distribution  1,91968/100
 
100/100
 
01/14/2026 09:42 Leginlists  Ratings distribution  2,81183/100

Rating metrics: Help Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 2% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 78.2/100, a mean average of 77.2/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 78.3/100. The standard deviation for this album is 14.8.

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The Crane Wife comments

Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 21 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First | Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)

Rating:  
85/100
From 02/12/2022 16:29 | #281181
83

Naaaaa qué disco tan peculiar e idiosincrático, y es muy bueno a decir verdad. Encima se inspiran en la Guerra Civil americana y en libros de Shakespeare para las letras de las canciones. Me parece una pasada tremenda. Mis canciones favoritas: The Crane Wife 3, Sons & Daughters, The Island (la de 12 minutos). Muy muy contento con el sentimiento final que me ha dejado este disco.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
50/100
From 09/02/2021 02:28 | #273186
Just listened to this for the first time in 2021. Amazing stuff!
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 08/26/2021 10:32 | #272862
A great album, that has some really stand out tracks. The song writing on the record is fantastic and definitely worth a look into. Every song matches the style and tone the group is going for, making a very cohesive and complete album. I really enjoy the instrumentation as well on this album. While there are a few weak tracks and it does seem to slow a bit in the middle the rest of the music is outstanding and really captivated me whilst I was listening. Overall, an experimental and thoroughly enjoyable album.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 01/18/2020 18:52 | #246980
Decemberists at their most progressive. It's beautiful and epic. Easily one of the greatest albums of 2006.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 12/21/2018 11:05 | #227547
Definitely the best Decemberists album so far, but they just keep putting out great stuff! Their last two have been very good and very overlooked
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 03/20/2018 23:14 | #211365
A perfect indie rock album - a masterpiece. Each song telling an eloquent story. The version I have has After the Bombs, Culling of the Fold, Perfect Crime #1 +The Day I Knew You'd not Come back, and Hurdles Even here, which add to the greatness of the album. This album really show what a great writer Colin Meloy was.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
70/100
From 02/20/2018 21:01 | #208988
Degli album dei Decemberists che ho conosciuto ( quasi tutti credo… ) "The crane wife" è sicuramente quello che mi è piaciuto di più: è più equilibrato nei suoni, le tendenze melodiche progressive sono tenute a freno, le canzoni sono migliori.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 02/15/2018 20:17 | #208340
I forgot about this album for such a long time, and i just came back to it after years and i am in awe! The album is absolutely spectacular!
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 03/05/2017 18:16 | #186885
Favorite Tracks: O Valencia!, Shankhill Butchers & The Island-Come & See/The Landlords Daughter/You'll Not Feel The Drowning
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 03/25/2016 18:15 | #162513
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Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -3 votes (0 helpful | 3 unhelpful)
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Best Albums of 2006
1. Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not by Arctic Monkeys
2. Ys by Joanna Newsom
3. Back To Black by Amy Winehouse
4. Black Holes And Revelations by Muse
5. The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance
6. Donuts by J Dilla
7. The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me by Brand New
8. 10,000 Days by Tool
9. Stadium Arcadium by Red Hot Chili Peppers
10. Sam's Town by The Killers
11. Silent Shout by The Knife
12. The Crane Wife by The Decemberists
13. The Eraser by Thom Yorke
14. Return To Cookie Mountain by TV On The Radio
15. Continuum by John Mayer
16. The Life Pursuit by Belle And Sebastian
17. The Trials Of Van Occupanther by Midlake
18. Modern Times by Bob Dylan
19. FutureSex/LoveSounds by Justin Timberlake
20. Yellow House by Grizzly Bear
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