The Decemberists are a band I have been hearing about for a few years now but have never heard an entire album from. Apparently I am completely missing the boat. The Hazards of Love, the band’s fifth album and latest studio release, is unrelenting in its creative force and quite good to boot!
Mainman Colin Meloy forged the vision for this album after finding a copy of British folkster Anne Briggs 1966 EP, The Hazards of Love. Setting out at first to pen a song for the wonderful phrase, the writing grew into a grandiose beast that contains 17 songs and tells the tale of Margaret, a woman who is ravaged over and over by the likes of her lover, a shape-shifting animal, a forest queen, and, of course, in true fairy tale form…a rake. The song are all intertwined, bouncing back and forth brilliantly between indie rock inspired folk and thundering rock in the vein of The White Stripes.
Trying to pick highlights here is a complicated action. Each song seems almost dependent on its predecessor to set the stage. Following that logic, “Prelude” and “The Hazards of Love 1 (The Prettiest Whistles Won’t Wrestle the Thistles Undone)” are certain highlights as they set the stage for the rest of the album, including the additional three parts of the title track. The bluesy rock of “Won’t Want for Love (Margaret in the Taiga)” is a highlight as well, set off by the frail sound of the female vocal lead. “The Queen’s Approach” is another personal favorite due to its haunting banjo work. It’s short and instrumental but also one of the moodiest pieces on the album.
Overall I’m a bit shocked at just how both unique and familiar The Decemberists manage to sound here. Musically I love this album and lyrical I think it’s maybe a bit overindulgent. On the flipside of that, this is one of the few albums over the last couple of years that actually takes some time to absorb lyrically. Hopefully a companion book will see the light of day to help listeners get a firm grasp on the overall story. Until then though, The Hazards of Love will remain a standout musical piece that will undeniably find itself on many yearend highlight lists.
Reviewed by Mark Fisher
