The Crane Wife (2006)

This Oregon quintet's major-label debut, The Crane Wife, refuses to relinquish the quirks of their three justly praised indie LPs. Songwriter Colin Meloy specializes in lurid historical dramas; here he bookends short scenes in that vein with two longer tales and leads the folk-oriented band on successful excursions into styles including keyboard-based prog. The jarring faux-metal riffage of ''When the War Came'' exposes Meloy's limits, but several of these studies in heartbreak and homicide rank among his most moving.