Customer Reviews

The Hazards of Love [Vinyl]

5 star:		(78)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

More than a singer, a songwriter, or an instrumentalist; Colin Meloy has always been a storyteller. From The Decemberists' humble debut in 2001, this has always been the case. It is for that reason, perhaps, that it's perplexing that it took the group this long to release a concept album, a record that tells one story throughout its length. 2006's brilliant The Crane Wife came close, with a story told over several tracks. Even with that under their belt, however, tackling a rock opera, a genre notoriously riddled with incoherent storytelling and major disappointments, is quite the mountain to climb - even for Meloy. Still, if any artist in today's musical world could right this troubled format, it would be Meloy. Fortunately, he has outdone not only the artists that have tried this method before, but even himself in the process.

The Hazards of Love tells the story of Margaret, a meek villager who falls in love with William, an inhabitant of a nearby magical forest. Margaret soon discovers that she is pregnant with William's child and sets off into the forest to find him. But as is so often the case with Meloy's stories, their love and future are threatened by William's jealous mother, the Queen of the forest, and a crazed, murderous widower. The album's first 8 songs set up the love story between the two central characters, while the album's second half brings the action to the story, ultimately ending with a beautiful, touching finale.

As already noted, the album's greatest strength is the story that it tells. Obviously, this should come as no surprise to any seasoned Decemberists fan, but the elongated format provides Meloy the opportunity to tell his story differently than has been done in the past. One of the devices that Meloy relies heavily on is foreshadowing, something that can't really be done on a single song. Throughout the tale, subtle imagery and lines are implemented that hint at the fate of not only William and Margaret, voiced by Meloy and Becky Stark respectively, but their antagonists as well. The implementation of foreshadowing lends itself to repeated listenings, and as the puzzle pieces all fall into place over time, I've found myself smiling at the intricacy of the tale.

One of the perils of concept albums that The Decemberists have overcome with The Hazards of Love is that they have kept the story about as coherent as possible. If one were to go back and examine all the "great" rock operas and concept albums of the past (Pink Floyd's The Wall, or The Who's Tommy), they are likely to find that the stories are weak, confusing, and stimulate little emotion from the listener. The Hazards of Love exceeds where these albums have failed, and though it's difficult to make a call on it this early in the game, it may be the greatest story that Meloy has ever told. Without question, though, it has already risen to the upper echelon of my "favorite concept albums" list.

A lot of that has not only to do with the story, but with the music as well. The Decemberists have taken a great risk in making this album as they have, relying heavily on aspects of progressive rock and metal. With the exception of "Isn't it a Lovely Night," there is little on The Hazards of Love that harkens back to the band's Victorian-era stylings of past albums. This is a rock opera, after all. With that leap comes the threat of alienating many of the fans that they have gained over the years. This album is awash with grandeur and bombast that would have never even have been considered for previous Decemberists' records. But all of it has its place on the album, and all of it feels appropriate for the story being told. For example, The Queen, voiced by Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond, is always accompanied by heavy metal riffs that mirror her evil, dark presence in the story. A lot of credit should be given to Meloy and Chris Funk who absolutely make these portions of the album feel natural and exciting, rather than forced. And while I'm dishing out praises, Shara Worden is a revelation as The Queen! Her few moments on the album alone make the whole thing worth listening to!

In truth, every musician who has leant their talents to the creation of this album has done a fantastic job. I do feel, however, that Jenny Conlee might have been underutilized this time around, as her skills are sort of downplayed throughout the album to make room for Meloy and Funk. There are moments where she shines, like on the instrumental "The Crossing," but these are scarce on the record. And yet despite all the musical changes that have been made to the band's sound to make this album work, I can't help but love every second of it! A Decemberists record or not, this is a fantastic work of art that I've listened to over and over again for the last few weeks. It is an album filled with beauty, emotion, and of course, Meloy's dark-twisted humor! I get chills when Shara Worden hits that last note of "Repaid," I chuckle at the ultimate fate of The Rake in "Revenge!," and a little bit of me breaks every time I hear the gorgeous finale, "The Drowned" (possibly the best song Meloy has ever written). This is an album that begs to be heard. It is one that is deserving of every positive word that it receives from myself or any other fan. The Decemberists have risked their reputation to release a record that is markedly different from anything that we have ever heard before. The result is something far too beautiful for words, too poignant for further commentary. My words end here.

Key Tracks:
1. "Won't Want for Love (Margaret in the Taiga)"
2. "The Wanting Comes in Wave/Repaid"
3. "The Queen's Rebuke/The Crossing"
4. "Annan Water"
5. "The Hazards of Love 4 (The Drowned)"

10 out of 10 Stars

I admit I was nervous when I first heard about the Decemberists new album, the Hazards of Love. A sprawling concept album is a very ambitious effort and the margin of error is very small. No one would have begrudged them had it fallen flat, because the degree of difficulty is so high and success in this format seems very hard to achieve.

However my worries were for naught, as the Decemberists came through and they came through big. This album is nothing less than a home run, and may go down as being this band's masterpiece. They managed to make an album that is clever, complex, that contains a complete narrative, and at the same time is the Decemberists most rocking by far.

The album effortlessly shifts from one style to another with four main song types, the instrumentals (Prelude, Queens Approach, and Interlude), the narrative interludes (Bower Scene, The Abduction of Margeret, Margaret in Captivity, and the Hazards of Love 3), the folk-type ballads (Hazards of Love 1, Hazards of Love 2, Isn't it a lovely night?, Annan Water, Hazards of Love 4), and the pure rockers (Won't Want for Love, Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid, The Rake's Song, The Queen's Rebuke/Crossing, Wanting Comes in Waves Reprise). All of these song types work well, with the last group I think being the strongest and most compelling, but that might just be my own music tastes talking.

This is of course a concept album and thus is best suited for straight start to end listens, and is marvelous in this capacity. The album starts off well enough, but really picks up at the Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid. At this point the Decemberists take it to the next level and never let go. The story line is at times tough to follow but you can easily get the main gist of it and with time and a lyric sheet I'm sure one can parse out some of the more subtle directions of the tale.
One quick highlight I think is worth mentioning, Shara Worden's appearances in Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid and Queen's Rebuke/Crossing are nothing short of fantastic. She brings haunting vocals to a new height and does an all out wonderful job. This is a wonderful album that really can and should be listened to multiple times.

So yes, I give this album nothing short of an A+, it is a great and interesting work that I happily give my highest recommendation to.

This album was released a week early through Itunes, so that's when I firts listened to it. At first listen, it was really good and then I listened to it again and it became awesome. Finally, I waited for it to be released on CD and went and bought that version of it so I could have the artwork and liner notes (as they pritned lyrics). I then listened to again and was in awe of what I was listening to. The first two listens allowed me to become familiar with the music so when I listened to it the third time I could focus more on the lyrics. This is how I came to believe, with little hesitation, that this is and will remain the best album of 2009.

The story, simplified, is this: William and Margaret fall in love with one another. The Queen (Williams mother) doesn't want Margaret in Williams life so she convinces the Rake to abduct Margaret and take her away from William forever. William then ventures out to rescue Maragaret. Now, there's a lot of folklorish substance added to this story, such as fawns, shapeshifters and what have you... but the story at it's core is a very simple and universal one and the ending is very Shakesperian.

There aren't really any songs on this album that have that instant catchiness of "We Both Go Down Together" or "Yankee Bayonett," but this is a concept album...it should, and must, but judged in it's entirety. For instance, prior to the albums release Sirius XMU had been playing The Rake's Song pretty heavily, and while it was good I thought it was one of their weaker songs. However, I found the song to be absolutely amazing when hearing it in it's place on the album.

A true album's album in a time when radio hit makers are running the show. You owe it to yourself to listen to this album... you owe it to music to listen to this album.

It's a truism in opera that a bad libretto can survive with good music, but not vice versa. This is equally true for rock opera, and in "The Hazards of Love" The Decemberists have over-emphasized story at the expense of the music.

Instead of developing musical ideas, The Decemberists settle for repetition, relying heavily on a small number of catchy melodies. This could work for an EP or a side, but not a full LP, and by the end the music has become worn-out and repetitive. I find this album extremely trying to listen to in its entirety.

For my money the best balance between long-form narrative and pop song was struck in "The Crane Wife" and this album is a step too far.

As a post-script I would encourage The Decemberists to develop a bit of a sense of humor about what they do. There is something charming about the dogged seriousness with which Collin Meloy will, say, appear for performance in a Civil War-era military uniform. But if he can't see the ironic or humorous side of that, he's missing a big part of his presentation, and to that extent his presentation is uncontrolled.

This is the type of album that when you first hear it you think you like it but not really sure. By the second listen you find yourself anticipating upcoming sounds/lyrics/moods/etc. I have found that albums, such as this, that I enjoy exponentially as I listen are always my long term favs. Very interesting change-ups throughout the album.
Note: If you sync to your iPod be sure to make the album play gap-less (default is 1-2 seconds between songs), as a compilation. The album was produced to flow from song to song; just like Dark Side of The Moon.
I highly recommend to all.

Their masterpiece has finally arrived!

In 2002, when the Decemberists released Castaways and Cutouts and subsequently blew me away, they then proceeded to follow it up with two very good albums, Her Majesty and the much better Picaresque which contained some really fantastic songs but failed to capture the magic and passion of the first album. Then came The Crane Wife, which let me down. After starting with two beautiful cuts, the Crane Wife hit a bump in the middle and become my least favorite album of theirs to date.

So my hopes were high with the Hazards of Love. When I heard it was another concept album I was a bit skeptical, but I knew there would probably be something on it I'd like - since Colin Meloy is one brilliant songwriter, and Chris Funk and the gang are multi-instrumentalists who can make some beautifully textured music. But my excitement about its release was tempered by a bit of caution.

I have now listened to the Hazards of Love twice back to back. When it ended I had to listen to it again. I will probably put it back on later today after letting the songs get in my head a little and then re-absorb myself in its absolute beauty. The Decemberists have taken everything they do well and combined it here in a 17-song concept album (the story is a bit strange but never mind that - listen to the music). It is musically the most accomplished work they have released, and Colin Meloy is finally at the top of his game.

The Decemberists are also one of the few bands that still create albums. In a day where people shuffle songs on MP3 players, the Decemberists still put together albums where songs flow into each other and swirl and drift from heavy to soft seamlessly. While some of these cuts stand alone as songs, they work best as part of a greater whole.

There is not a weak cut on this album. The Decemberists have finally proven themselves to be one of the finest bands, if not the finest, around right now. The Hazards of Love will be at the top of my list of this decade's best.

My 20-year-old daughter has been hounding me for months to give a listen to this band she likes... the Decemberists. Hmm. I've heard some of her musical selections blasting from her computer speakers lately, and I had pretty much resigned myself to the fact that we just have widely differing musical tastes (or so I believed). I was quite sure I was probably not the target audience for this indie group and kept putting off listening to "just one track, Mom... come on!"

Then I heard "The Rake Song" on NPR's web site. I was intrigued. I listened to it again. I got a little curious. No, I got more than a little curious. So I had to (sheepishly) ask my daughter if she might happen to have this album--maybe I'd give it a chance, even though I didn't have very high expectations.

I can now say with absolute certainty that I would have missed out on a truly great musical experience if my daughter hadn't turned me on to the Decemberists. I understand The Hazards Of Love is not their typical style, but I am now sufficiently hooked that I want to hear more of what Colin Meloy has to say.

I'm now on my third or fourth (or maybe fifth?) time through this album. Today I found myself looking forward to traffic jams, road construction, and slow cars ahead of me--anything to extend my "special time" with this album on my way in to work. Each track is like a little jewel in part of a bigger treasure. Buy the album, listen to it straight through a time or two. You will be glad you did... consider it a debt repaid.

I just finished listening to the new album from The Decemberists, The Hazards of Love. I don't want to over-hype it or anything, so I'll just say The Decemberists is the best songwriting from today. This album really proves "the album" is not dead. It also goes to show why CDs need to exist still and downloading music is a fool's errand.

Just under a full hour long, but not one gap between tracks. They all flow smoothly into one another. And this makes perfect sense because it isn't a collection of songs, it is a story of a woman and her lover caught up in a twisted tale including magic, a forest queen and a murderous villain. Seriously, this would make for an awesome musical play.

The Hazards of Love is the most electric album by The Decemberists, but it makes sense because the tracks ebb and flow with the telling of the tale from calm tracks telling of love to loud, calamitous tracks of turmoil and peril.

Seriously, buy the CD, put it on your good stereo and crank it up, turn your lights down, and enjoy the tale.

I suspect I am older than the typical Decemberist listener. In addition, I can't think of a genre of music to which I don't listen. After fully enjoying "The Crane Wife" I was anxious to hear this new effort. I was disappointed when the local newspaper and alternate weekly gave it a mixed/negative review. Still, I could not fathom that the talent that created "Crane" could blunder so grandly. After listening for the first time, I was happy (maybe for the first time) about my age and also appreciative of my listening diversity.

Musical theatre is unfortunately slowing in popularity, but what the Decemberist have created is a wonderful theatre piece. Some younger reviewers might not recognize this. They have a great story. They have tremendous voices performing. They have music that pulls the listener onto the stage and they even have a few "stand-alone" hit singles in the mix. All that is missing is the visual and a bouquet of roses at a curtain call.

I really like this CD. I have pushed the replay button on my office CD player far too often to count. When the creative awards season arrives, we can be assured that the Grammy's will ignore this incredible music, as they do with any progressive and complex endeavor. Now if there was only a way to get this on stage in New York, a Tony is sure to follow!

I wouldn't say that it sounds British, but The Hazards of Love's concept, involving magic and folklore, is something rarely seen since the heyday of east-of-the-Atlantic bands like Strawbs and Horslips. But the Decemberists hail from the American northwest, far from the urban landscapes that spawned arty U.S. groups like Talking Heads and Devo, so it isn't completely out of character.

Like many narrative works that I've heard, Hazards of Love takes a few listens to appreciate. I heard half in the car, repeated a few tracks the next day on the computer, and slowly got a feel for the music and a clue about the story line. Saturday I listened to the whole thing.

Hazards opens with a long, droning piece called the "Prelude" and it's a bit of a bore, really, though fans of New Music weirdness may dig it. Things get rolling with track 2, featuring a folky tune dominated by acoustic steel-string guitar and the voice of Colin Meloy (the main man behind this project) sounding strong and clear. The arrangement gets quite busy after a while, with other voices, autoharp, even a bit of pedal steel. A madman screams something unintelligible at the end of it all and track 3, "A Bower Song," bursts in with a Mike Rutherford-style guitar riff; we have ignition!

The story begins (a century or so back in time apparently) with young Margaret's sojourn into a wild place not too far from her home. There she meets and helps an injured fawn. Mr. Fawn turns out to be a changeling who reverts to human form. Now we have a man and a young woman alone in the woods. I think you can fill in the details.

Though the music never panders to rock and roll tradition, it does rock. But the throbbing bass, fuzz guitar and pounding drums have no trouble yielding to a lilting vocal by Becky Stark, a banjo, a waltz tempo, and oh that pedal steel! I was very impressed by Jenny Conley, who's skills on the Hammond B-3 organ and other keyboards are dazzling, especially on "The Queen's Rebuke."

The artwork is nice, but limited, and shows the characters, Margaret (our heroine), William (the changeling), the Queen (Will's over protective, witchy guardian), and a man known as "The Rake" who really should be locked up someplace. The story was a bit hard to follow at first, but once I found my way it was quite involving and the telling was concise, Colin's words eloquent. The lyrics are all there, in a tiny typeface that makes one yearn for an LP version. No, I do not recommend buying this one as an audio-only download.

There is a lot of thematic repetition here (recall Pink Floyd or Jeff Wayne), which doesn't bother me in the least. In fact, hearing the return of variations on that "Hazards of Love" theme gives the album much of its emotional power. The story is original, compelling and blessed with a dark sense of humor (be warned that The Rake has quite a murderous past). Sound quality is very good (try it on good headphones).

Listening to The Hazards of Love is a thrill similar to discovering past greats like Pink Floyd's The Wall or Genesis' The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, though it shares more with those albums in spirit than musical feel. I'm one child of the '70's and '80's who is happy to say that The Decemberists have produced a work of genuine brilliance that rates with the best of recent rock history.

(Those critics whose minds are closed to music that stretches the bounds of rock will probably dismiss this as pretentious drivel, but I won't be offended because, well, I'm used to it.)