"The Hazards of Love" The Decemberists

So, The Decemberists released another concept album. Not entirely sure what the "concept" of this one is, but word around the campfire is that there is one. There's not a convenient three song cycle that the album takes it's name from - oh wait, yes there is, only this time it's four songs, and they're all conveniently called, "The Hazards of Love". Well, there you have it then, this album's concept is "The Hazards of Love", the truth of which I'm sure many of the band's more emo contingent can all attest to.

According to the Wiki, this album is more specifically about a love affair between a human and an animal/human hybrid. Only this time, in lieu of a crane who is also a seamstress, we've got a fawn who is also a man and a forest queen.

I suppose I should probably stop being so facetious and come clean. I really, really enjoy this album, definitely more than "The Crane Wife,", and almost as much as "Picaresque." Although there is a bit of repetition, (ie- repeating guitar strains between many of the songs, repeating themes, repeating harpsichord intros, etc), I think it works when spread across the whole album. I just put together a playlist with several of the repeating songs and the similarities are much more obvious when stacked back to back like that. When taken in the context of the whole album (this is not a disc to be shuffled, that's for sure!) the tracks take on an almost subliminal feel, something that is only noticed after the seventh or eighth or fifteenth listen.

One thing that is noticeable from the start, is the incredible impact that My Brightest Diamond's Shara Worden has on several of the tracks, most notably, "The Wanting Comes in Waves". It's always refreshing to see two artists, who are great in their own right, come together and form something that is even more powerful than the sum of it's parts. I've enjoyed My Brightest Diamond for several years, and The Decemberists for even longer, but hearing the two of them together is something transcendent. After my initial infatuation with the bloodbath of "The Rake's Song" wore off (and despite my lingering affair), the song that keeps catching my attention (and the song I keep coming back to) is most definitely "The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid".

This is most definitely an album that must be listened to straight through (it's a perfect candidate for a vinyl purchase) and with a keen ear to the lyrics and the tale. This has definitely vaulted into my personal list of top Decemberists albums with little effort.

"The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid" The Decemberists
"The Rake's Song" The Decemberists

ps- if you're not already following Colin Meloy on Twitter, you totally should.
pps- if you're not already following ThaBombShelter on Twitter, you totally should!

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