The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love - Album Review

The latest release by The Decemberists sounds more like a rock opera than an album and it is a pleasant change from albums that have 3 or 4 good songs and the rest filler. Each of the 17 songs have their place on the album, even the small instrumental tie-ins, and sound best when played in sequence as a full album. It is a good way to spend an hour though and Colin Meloy’s distinctive voice is always good to hear. Although they sound like the same band, some excellent riffs show up throughout the album which are unexpected at first but after repeated listens become the core of the album.

This press release sums up the story of what the album is about better than I can:

"The album began when Meloy – long fascinated by the British folk revival of the 1960s – found a copy of revered vocalist Anne Briggs’s 1966 EP, titled The Hazards of Love. Since there was no actual song with the album’s title, he set out to write one, but was soon immersed in something much larger.
"The Hazards Of Love tells the tale of a woman named Margaret who is ravaged by a shape-shifting animal; her lover, William; a forest queen; and a cold-blooded, lascivious rake, who recounts with spine-tingling ease how he came 'to be living so easy and free' in the aforementioned “The Rake’s Song”. Lavender Diamond’s Becky Stark and My Brightest Diamond’s Shara Worden deliver the lead vocals for the female characters, while My Morning Jacket’s Jim James, Robyn Hitchcock and The Spinanes’ Rebecca Gates appear in supporting roles. The range of sounds reflects the characters’ arcs, from the accordion’s singsong lilt in “Isn’t it a Lovely Night?” to the heavy metal thunder of 'The Queen’s Rebuke/The Crossing”."

After only a few listens it has already become one of my favourites of the year so far and is getting better with every listen. Below is the tracklisting and an audio sample of "The Rake's Song" from the new album as well as a couple of great film clips from the previous albums.

1. "Prelude" - 3:04
2. "The Hazards of Love 1 (The Prettiest Whistles Won't Wrestle the Thistles Undone)" - 4:19
3. "A Bower Scene" - 2:09
4. "Won't Want for Love (Margaret in the Taiga)" - 4:07
5."The Hazards of Love 2 (Wager All)" - 4:26
6. "The Queen's Approach" - 0:29
7. "Isn't It a Lovely Night?" - 3:29
8. "The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid" - 6:27
9. "An Interlude" - 1:40
10. "The Rake's Song" - 3:16
11. "The Abduction of Margaret" - 2:07
12. "The Queen's Rebuke/The Crossing" - 3:56 .
13."Annan Water" - 5:12
14. "Margaret in Captivity" - 3:08
15. "The Hazards of Love 3 (Revenge!)" - 3:22
16. "The Wanting Comes in Waves (Reprise)" - 1:31
17. "The Hazards of Love 4 (The Drowned)" - 5:57