It was many years ago that I first heard of the Decemberists. I remember seeing the music video for "16 Military Wives" on the Wedge, back before Much had pushed it back into oblivion. I was still in high school, just getting into the music that I enjoy so much today. I enjoyed it so much that I searched them up on the closest peer-to-peer downloading network, and was surprised. I thought: "Hey these guys aren't just straight up indie, why are they writing about whales, and pirates, and street urchins?" For me this is what has always set the Decemberists apart from the rest of the independent scene that they are grouped in with, they write about what interests them and they do it with all honesty. The reason why "The Mariner's Revenge Song" was a such an ingenius piece of music was because they didn't play it with a sly "oh I'm so darn ironic" grin on their face, they played it hard and well and as if they were in the belly of that foul whale ranting at some wretched, unholy soul. So, naturally, when I heard that these guys were writing a rock opera I was pretty damn excited. And when I found out it was all based on an English folk tale involving evil forest queens, beautiful maidens, and a shape-shifting forest creature I nearly wet myself.
Now of course, people have been saying that the Decemberists are all pretense, and have been for a while. I'm not sure if I agree with that sentiment. This album, in all its awesome ridiculousness, sounds like the band is just enjoying themselves the entire time, instead of using the fantastical subject matter and the huge sound to show how they can handle such a huge album themselves. Mind you, the story does get slightly muddled up considering the fact that Colin Meloy sings as the shape-shifting forest guy and the narrator. Yet, despite some confusions here and there, the plot-line remains understandable and surprisinly engaging. Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamon) guests as the voice of the forest queen, as does Becky Stark of Lavendar Diamond. Hell, even Jim James makes an appearance once and a while.
Don't expect the quiet folkiness of previous albums when entering into The Hazards of Love, think "The Island.." but more, much, much more. The Hazards of Love is definitely a stylistic shift from previous outings. Huge, deep guitars and blistering riffs are all over this album. Shara Worden belts out frightening, and bizarrely sexy, lines amid an enormous blues riff and crashing drums. It has all the elements of a '70s rock opera, including incredibly sweet Hammond organ solos. Yes, they are sweet, I said it. The slow, love songs take elements '20s music and borrow heavily from country music with slow pedal steel guitar. Even a harpsichord makes an appearance. With the new sounds of this album, never once does it not sound like the Decemberists. There are still the recognizable vocal lines and the style of songwriting that is so very much Colin Meloy. The vocals are one of my few complaints of this album, there times when some of the songs sound a little too much like previous album's songs, but this is easily dismissed with the quality of this album.
I admit that I miss the songs of albums past that were just as sprawling but lasting only five minutes. They could fit so much emotion into a small slice of time, the kind of songs really left you with your hands open and your mouth open. This album is one of those five minute songs just fleshed out and spread over nearly an hour. This album, when listened in its entirety, is one of my favourites by the Decemberists, and I think it's intended to be listened to all the way through, or at least in segments. Seperately, some of the songs don't stand up as well as others, but all together it works well.
In the end I was conflicted between giving this album a slightly lower review than I did in the end, but I realized that The Hazards of Love had so many moments that truly surprised me. The huge Sabbath-esque distorted guitars and the dark plot truly tickled the fantasy nerd inside me. And really, I think that's why Mr. Meloy wrote this album, to satisfy the Princess Bride loving nerds in all of us, and there's nothing pretentious about that.
Rating: 4/5.
-Lucas Thurston
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