The Decemberists Pay Tribute to Valerie Plame

The Decemberists have a knack for molding dainty pop songs out of complicated and dreary affairs. The first single from their 'Always the Bridesmaid' series pays tribute to Valerie Plame, a covert CIA agent whose cover was blown in a complex scheme by the Bush administration to discredit her husband for criticizing the Iraq War. The story set off a political firestorm in 2003, but leave it to Decemberists' lead singer Colin Meloy to find beauty amidst the Washington backstabbing.

"I would be hearing the name Valerie Plame peppered over every newscast," Meloy tells Spinner. "It struck me how the cadence of her name is really perfect for a pop song. It really grew out of that. I wanted to write a song that used the poetic nature of her name."

Although the song is not overtly political, Meloy is very aware of the impact Plame's story can leave on his audience just weeks before a presidential election. "Everybody should be reminded of the hypocrisies of the Bush administration," Meloy warns. "Particularly the underlings, and how they sold their lies about the war and tried to undercut and destroy the careers of people who stood in their way."

A fervent supporter of Barack Obama, Meloy calls the Democratic candidate "astute" and "incredibly bright." "Obama is one of the most solid democratic candidates that we've seen come along in a long time," he says.

So it may seem like an incentive that Meloy and the Decemberists will perform 'Valerie Plame' on 'Late Night With Conan O'Brien' the night before November's presidential election. But Meloy shies away from preaching politics. "We try to temper our opinions on stage as much as possible," he says. "It's not so much about selling politics, as much as it is reminding people to get involved and to vote."