The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love

The first of my anticipated albums for 2009 is now available, and this is my (barely competent) review.

The Hazards of Love (THoL for short) is an epic 17-song suite written as a rock opera and sees The Decemberists dabble in everything from their signature sounds to Sabbath-like riffage. To call it ambitious and grandiose would be an understatement. It should be noted that the entire album is essentially one long song going through several movements during its hour-long length. The songs effortlessly spill into each other as frontman Colin Meloy spins his yarn, ably assisted by several guest vocalists and musicians.

The album opener is aptly titled “Prelude” and does nothing more than lead into the mellow “The Hazards of Love 1″ which is probably my favorite of the four tracks carrying the Hazards title. “A Bower Scene” quickly changes the tempo as it powers through a short two-minute length. It contains the first evidence of some of the heavy metal thunder to be found on this album, and “Won’t Want For Love” sets up a great contrast between Becky Stark’s hauntingly beautiful vocals (she voices Margaret) and chunky electric guitar riffs tinged with just the right amount of folk to remind listeners that this is still a Decemberists song. “THoL 2″ follows and while musically similar to the first, it moves through a somewhat different set of arrangements and lyrics. “The Queen’s Approach” is a quick interlude before the enchanting “Isn’t It a Lovely Night?”, a duet between Meloy’s William and Stark’s Margaret.

Unlike The Crane Wife, THoL doesn’t have any songs that push the 10-minute mark and at 6:26, “The Wanting Comes in Waves” is the longest song on the album. It also introduces the character of the Forest Queen, voiced by Shara Worden. Her deep, quivering voice does great justice to the character and sounds genuinely menacing in certain sections. “An Interlude” is a simple song played on acoustic guitar and bridges “The Wanting Comes in Waves” and “The Rake’s Song” which was the first single from this album. It’s a great song with humorous (yet scary) lyrics featuring the Rake murdering his three kids. “The Abduction of Margaret” is a musical (but not lyrical) reprise of “A Bower Scene” and bleeds into the heaviest song on this record (and perhaps their entire discography): “The Queen’s Rebuke/The Crossing.” The song sees Worden take centerstage with the band creating a thunderous sound (reminiscent of early hard rock/metal bands such as Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath) in the background. Believe it or not, it still sounds like The Decemberists (especially if you’ve listened to The Tain EP and/or “When The War Came” off of The Crane Wife).

The band’s penchant for contrast is abundantly clear when they follow Rebuke with the most Decemberists-esue song on the album, “Annan Water,” a delicious acoustic number. “Margaret in Captivity” finds our friend, the Rake, singing a far mellower, but equally disturbing number as Margaret cries out for help. “THoL 3″ is probably the most “fun” of all the Hazards tracks with a children’s choir – voicing the Rake’s dead kids who’ve come back to haunt him – singing over a straightforward synth (I think) line. Very Pink Floyd (think “Another Brick in The Wall 2″). “The Wanting Comes in Waves (Reprise)” is a quick reprise and leads into the final track on the album, “THoL 4″ – a good closer. The album does not go out with a bang, nor does it fade away. Instead, it ends with a beautiful, mid-tempo Decemberists-esque song.

Perhaps my only complaints lie with the use of identical openings to “THoL 3″ and “The Wanting Comes in Waves (Reprise)” and the lack of treble in some sections, with heavy use of reverb and a muscular production probably responsible for the latter. Very minor, and, in my opinion, an indication of how good this album really is. And while I’ve gone through the individual songs, it’s important to realize that this album is at its best when listened to from beginning to end. Still, I’ve included a list of my favorite songs from this album at the end of the review.

I get the feeling that this is going to be a solid year for music. We’re barely a quarter of the way in, and there have been some good releases already (e.g., The Pains of Being Pure at Heart). The Hazards of Love continues the trend by being totally awesome. Also, fuck Pitchfork and their score of 5.7/10 for this most excellent album.

Rating: 4.5/5

Highlights:

The Hazards of Love 1, 2, 3

The Rake’s Song

Won’t Want For Love

The Wanting Comes in Waves

The Queen’s Rebuke

Annan Water

Listen to the album: http://www.imeem.com/ewcom

Listen to the first ever live performance of the album in its entirety: NPR Showcase at SXSW 2009