Reviews > The Decemberists
In The Court Of The Decemberists’ Forest Queen
By Skwerl
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Today, The Decemberists officially release their fifth studio album, entitled The Hazards Of Love. An idea that started as a single song inspired by an obscure British Folk EP from 1966 mutated first into a possible Michael Mayer musical, and then finally the most epic concept album since The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust.*
The album is seventeen tracks in all, but few are entirely self-contained, as many songs weave in and out of one another. After a brief prelude, it opens with the first of four parts of the title track, sung by chief Decemberist Colin Meloy playing the part of William, a shape-shifting forest dweller in love with the story’s main character, Margaret. This is followed up by A Bower Scene, in which power chords (that’s right, on a Decemberists record) steadily gallop towards a noisy stomp riff.
This leads into the introduction of Margaret, voiced by Becky Stark of the band Lavender Diamond. Won’t Want For Love (Margaret In The Taiga) features Becky’s elegantly anachronistic vocals over a walking blues riff and a disciplined 4/4 backing beat. The seemingly odd combination works extremely well actually, and the song is one of several extraordinarily good cuts among a thoroughly extraordinary album.
The second installment of the album’s segmented title track- subtitled Wager All- brings a new energy to the titular refrain and moves the fantastic story along, set in a taiga on an unascertainable planet, in an unascertainable time. We are then led through an interlude entitled The Queen’s Approach, and then, in Isn’t It A Lovely Night, shown a scene where Margaret and William are meeting in the forest. Margaret is pregnant. The forest queen is jealous, and she is on her way.
In The Wanting Comes In Waves / Repaid, William addresses the Queen- his mother, if I’m following- begging her not to interfere. But the antagonist insists, powerfully voiced by Shara Worden of the band My Brightest Diamond. The humble plinking around on (…what is that, a clavichord? Harpsichord?) gives way to a swaggering, squealing electric guitar- fittingly the cockiest riff of the album, and a surprisingly bold digression for The Decemberists- especially in the album heralded as a folk opera. Colin brings a little Detroit into Portland on this one, and it’s another standout cut.
Lead single The Rake’s Song comes after another interlude, and while I loved the song at first listen, it’s even better in context. The Rake is the life of the party, and his song is raucous, but the lyrics admit his despicable compulsions:
The henchman’s song sets up his Abduction Of Margaret, which revisits the power chords and stomp riff of A Bower Scene, and taking us back to the Queen with The Queen’s Rebuke / The Crossing- which revisits the electric rock n’ roll of Repaid, blowing it up, and taking it further. This is new territory for The Decemberists. A genuine growth, a new edge, and a new reason to get on the bandwagon. I discovered their “breakthrough” album The Crane Wife just a little too late, and now eagerly await their upcoming tour, where they will be performing The Hazards Of Love in its entirety from what I hear.
Through Annan Water and Margaret In Captivity, William travels to rescue Margaret if I’m hearing right, and the third installment of the title track, sung by a children’s choir, brings revenge and rescue, while the fourth and final installment, Hazards Of Love IV (The Drowned) journal the sad end of the tale, where we find William and Margaret afloat on a sinking ship. Doomed, they take solace; They have each other, and they will finally have peace:
O let’s be married here today, these rushing waves to bear our witness.
And we will lie like river stones rolling only where it takes us.
But I pulled you and I called you here,
And I caught you and I brought you here.
These hazards of love, never more will trouble us.
God… this review reads like a high school book report, doesn’t it? I got my copy a week ago, and according to iTunes, I’ve listened to it twenty times. I didn’t start to understand the story until at least the tenth or eleventh run through, so part of me just wanted to sort it out on paper. But what you need to know is that this is the best album of 2009 so far. It’s a masterpiece, and The Decemberists have outdone their amazing Crane Wife against all odds. It’s a grand, inspired vision. It’s a concept album, but not the usual sort, where the story or cliché being milked for an album’s worth of lyrics is more of an excuse than a constitutive instrument. Go. Get it now.
The Hazards Of Love
March 17, 2009
Capitol Records
1. Prelude
2. Hazards Of Love I (The Prettiest Whistles…)
3. A Bower Scene
4. Won’t Want For Love (Margaret In The Taiga)
5. Hazards Of Love II (Wager All)
6. The Queen’s Approach
7. Isn’t It A Lovely Night?
8. The Wanting Comes In Waves / Repaid
9. An Interlude
10. The Rake’s Song
11. The Abduction Of Margaret
12. The Queen’s Rebuke / The Crossing
13. Annan Water
14. Margaret In Captivity
15. Hazards Of Love III (Revenge!)
16. The Wanting Comes In Waves (Reprise)
17. Hazards Of Love IV (The Drowned)
* One possible exception to this that came to mind as I was writing this piece is Dream Theater’s Metropolis II: Scenes From A Memory. I didn’t see the point in using such an obscure album as a key reference, but if any crazy metalheads out there want to call me out on that one, I’ll willingly surrender.
- 01. Prelude
- 02. The Hazards Of Love 1 (The Prettiest Whistles Won't Wrestle The Thistles Undone)
- 03. A Bower Scene
- 04. Won't Want For Love (Margaret In The Taiga)
- 05. The Hazards Of Love 2 (Wager All)
- 06. The Queen's Approach
- 07. Isn't It A Lovely Night?
- 08. The Wanting Comes In Waves / Repaid
- 09. An Interlude
- 10. The Rake's Song
- 11. The Abduction Of Margaret
- 12. The Queen's Rebuke / The Crossing
- 13. Annan Water
- 14. Margaret In Captivity
- 15. The Hazards Of Love 3 (Revenge!)
- 16. The Wanting Comes In Waves (Reprise)
- 17. The Hazards Of Love 4 (The Drowned)
Pink Floyd: The Wall - 1979
Tastes vary on the subject of Floyd, but The Wall was and remains undeniably massive (and massively influential) as a musical movement. And it came out 7 years after Stardust.
It’s a fantastic record, but there’s no way in hell that Hazards of Love will amount to the impact and overall “epic-ness” of The Wall.
Aside from that, good work. This one will get plenty of spins.
haha ok! fair enough. earlier today it hit me actually- i was like shit, what came first, ziggy or the wall? i don’t love floyd either, but you’re right. i missed that one, and it’s more recent than ziggy.
still, quite an accomplishment.
(to any confused readers, we’ve been bickering a little over my opening statement. it’s seemingly overly hyperbolic, but neither of us have been able to disqualify it.)
I completely agree with the dream theater comment. i couldn’t listen to this and not help but think, hm does Collin Meloy like dream theater? haha becasue.. both lyrics and the progressive-ness. great album nevertheless
Thank you!!! I have been reading reviews from typical newspaper music reviewers and they just don’t get this album. This album is brilliant and your review nails it.
Good band, though I’m not a fan of concept albums like this. I don’t care for all the interludes and such and lyrically I prefer each song to tell its own story. There’s alot going on here and way too much to digest after just 2 listens. The fact that it is a concept album and structured as such is probably going to keep me from loving this record. I do like it though.
Man, your review about this super complex album is the most brilliant and coherent work that i have read so far… there are so many interpretations of this story around the web -some of them, very poor, like the one from Spin’ magazine review- but the description that you have wrote is easy and direct, so the less that i can do is leave a “thank you”.
cheers!
Listen to this album in your car, or somewhere that you can get the full experience. It’s truly an incredible record.
I am blown away by this record. Last time I felt this way is when I discovered Porcupine Tree. But this took me into another universe altogether. I am on my 11th listen in 2 days :)
These guys really don’t have the chops to be considered prog do they?
prog-rock or prog-metal? um… no, not quite. but it’s progressive for their style/genre. are you just trolling, or are you replying to eden?
I was actually responding to the Porcupine Tree comment. I find it interesting that prog heads like this. Yeah, its a concept album, but these guys are not that proficient on their instruments like a true prog band.
Good band, good record though.
“these guys are not that proficient on their instruments like a true prog band.”
Sorry John, but these are some of the best damn musicians you’re going to find collaborating today. Jenny, playing every instrument under the sun, could rock you all the way back to 1969 (or 1669, if you like the Decemberists tales enough). And, lest you forget, writing and lyrical structure are an art form intricately involved in music that many bands seem to toss away today. Colin Meloy has a vocabulary and a knack for storytelling that will proverbially rock your proverbial socks off.
And Skwerl, thank you for getting the plot right. I’ve been so disappointed with how many professional reviewers out there were opting to take a stab at it only one listen in. Shame on them for their lacking curiosity.
no problem. “professional” critics have bosses and deadlines and tons of shitty albums that they’re being pressured to hype up. we can take our time if we think an album deserves it. i actually thought my review wasn’t thorough enough- i’m still catching things in the lyrics i missed earlier. but the support and kudos has made me feel a lot better about the effort.
as for the prog thing… with respect to persh, i’m going to call trolling. he’s technically right in the sense that colin doesn’t display the technical ability that petrucci or malmsteen does. but it’s like saying paul mccartney can’t rap when a hip-hop fan says he digs the white album.
Skwerl, I’m not trolling. I like the band and record. I was being totally honest when I said Prog is usually a lot more intricate and technical. That’s not really the issue, though…We all agree its very good whatever you want to call it.
They have achieved what most neo-prog bands have tried in vain to accomplish through decades, an opera rock masterpiece to be truly remembered. Enough said…
Best review I have read of this album, hands down…AND YOUR REVIEW TITLE IS PRICELESS AND PERFECT, Fripp would give a chuckle I am sure..Hazards reminds me of the Tain, Peter and the Wolf, Fairport Convention, and many of the groups I saw growing up, and I saw just about everyone ( I an 55). .being an old sort still involved in new music (as opposed to listening to hits from high school glory years as most of my peers do) I find that many young people simply do not have the musical exposure to appreciate the complex roots of a piece like this..while they may have heard of ” The Wall” they have never heard ” Music From the Body” or “Matching Mole”. Dedicated metal Heads go blank when you bring up Blue Cheer’s Vincebus Eruptum, Hip-Hop folk don’t hear the old Mountain song under a Prince Paul track or some of the psychedelic stuff the RZA is fond of, Goth kids have no idea who Nick Cave is …. the simple truth is without exposure you cannot make connections..and there are so many memory jogs and connections on Hazards that I smiled throughout the first listen- still am..
SKWERL, it is a pleasure to encounter someone who has gone beyond the narrow desert which VH-1 and MTV have presented to our kids as the roots of contemporary music….and yes, the Queen is the mother…..
Responding to the harpsichord/clavichord question: It is indeed a harpsichord, and that particular one was built by my good friend in Portland, Byron Will (he’s uncredited on the album). His completely hand-crafted instruments are exquisite and much fuller sounding than most. They have been acclaimed by Baroque ensembles here and in Europe.
Many groups would have simply used a synthesizer, or possibly settled for a cheap instrument. Although the harpsichord’s use on the album is not idiomatic, and certainly not musically complex, it is telling that Ms. Connelly would find it nevertheless important to use such a fine instrument (attention to quality that is heard throughout all their work.)
This is an intelligent group of top-notch musicians, and Byron tells me that they are also very nice people as well.
I wrote my senior thesis at Lewis & Clark college on the subject of “Rock Opera,” and my personal opinion is that this is the best I have heard in the genre. Ok I’ll stop gushing now…
Oh, and SKWERL, this was also the most thoughtful review of the album I have read so far as well. It is clear that you put time and understanding into it.
[...] not sold on this band yet, do yourself a favor and buy a ticket to the show. Their last album, Hazards Of Love, was a masterpiece, and no true music lover in their right mind should miss the opportunity to see [...]
Wow – a really intelligent and interesting review. Haven’t seen one this good in what seems like ages. . . . thanks!
Gorgeous and perfect album. kathy gibb’s comments are spot on. The musical associations are numerous – the dead children’s revenge reminded me of the chorus of unborn children from Strauss’s “Die Frau Ohne Schatten.”
So, what did you think? I thought they did the album much better than justice last night.
[...] the tribute is Lavender Diamond, featuring Becky Stark, a co-star on The Decemberists’ very amazing Hazards Of [...]
I met my son in Kansas City a few weeks ago to see Hazards performed at the Uptown Theater. WHEW- it IS a masterpiece and I about died and went to heaven..the second half of the show was over the top as well, the whole group in high gear, Decemberists at their best. Colin Meloy is the only person I have ever seen who can split a room into 2 opposing, mounted armies and have them go at it to the death in his narration of Lawrence of Arabia during ” A Cautionary Tale”. We were on the front row of the balcony and the mass of people riding their “Camels” to the fray was a sight to behold..
I was wondering when the girls would come out to perform a non-Hazards song and was delighted when I recognized the opening chords of what was to be a blistering( yes, blistering ) cover of Heart’s Crazy on You”..and most of the young people around us, my 24- yr old son included, went ” what the hell is this” but the olds folks were high fiving each other and smiling with delight- the Wilson girls were a force to be reckoned with back in the day and this was quite a tribute to them..
Hazards live is not to be missed and I have a sneaky feeling they won’t be performing it too much in years to come..
[...] antiquiet — ????? I got my copy a week ago, and according to iTunes, I’ve listened to it twenty times. I didn’t start to understand the story until at least the tenth or eleventh run through, so part of me just wanted to sort it out on paper. But what you need to know is that this is the best album of 2009 so far. It’s a masterpiece, and The Decemberists have outdone their amazing Crane Wife against all odds. It’s a grand, inspired vision. It’s a concept album, but not the usual sort, where the story or cliché being milked for an album’s worth of lyrics is more of an excuse than a constitutive instrument. Go. Get it now. [...]
[...] And if you haven’t checked out Hazards Of Love yet, you ought to do so, says we. [...]
Scenes From A Memory has to take the cake.
[...] I’ve already heaped over a thousand words of praise upon this album on Antiquiet. As it sits in our top ten best records of the entire decade, the only [...]
I too have listened to this album at least 20 times. I wasn’t too excited about it the first time I listened to it, and I agree that you need to concentrate on the lyrics and listen to it several times before you can really appreciate the intricacies of the music and the lyrics. So my question… Is William and the Rake the same person??? Is he like a Doctor Jeckle/Mr. Hyde character. Is the forest making him evil?