How could I have missed them?

It dawned on me today at work: I had loaded the iPod and failed to include the Decemberists.
How?
No matter. I have rectified the situation, loading "Her Majesty the Decemberists" on the iPod now that I have returned home.
The Decemberists are everything I look for in a band.
Colin Meloy writes smart lyrics... the band plays a pleasant indie pop style that never grows stale... and they are from Oregon, for gosh sakes.
We lived in Oregon for five-and-a-half years and our oldest was born there. I have an uncle, an aunt, cousins and more in Oregon.
Yet, until today I didn't have Oregon's top indie heroes on the iPod. That's just plain silly.
No Ripchord's 9 out of 10 review called "Her Majesty the Decemberists" a "glorious triumph" and "the brilliant sound of a band taking their first steps to greatness."
That may be true. All I know is, their songs consistently sound fresh. They deserved to be on the iPod. Easily.