Spring Break
REVIEW: No 'Hazards' of length
4 out of 5 stars
Fernando Dutra
Issue date: 4/2/09 Section: Focus
The Decemberists have always had a flair for bombastic excess, with several songs in their catalogue reaching the 10-minute mark. "The Hazards of Love," then, is the logical next step for their music. The concept album is a vast expanse of music, with each song segueing seamlessly into one, making it seem like the album is one long song. Decemberists fans have more than likely already sunk their teeth into this latest collection of songs, analyzing every prog-rock nuance pervasive throughout the album. But what about everyone else?
As concept albums have increasingly become the next "go-to" step for musicians to prove themselves or test their mettle (Green Day, Sufjan Stevens, The Who, Yes, and Jay-Z), The Decemberists have always seemed like the ones to do it and successfully pull it off. Colin Meloy's fascination with where myth and history intersect has been the subject of The Decemberists' music since its inception, with each album drawing from a particular influence or motif. 2003's "Her Majesty" used nautical language while 2006's "The Crane Wife" had Japanese folk-influences. It was only a matter of time before Meloy created his own narrative.
This isn't to say the narrative is wholly original. It follows the prototypical arc for a romance narrative - lovers meet, separate and unite somewhere along the way. It is often obtuse, dense, and complicated, but repeated listens reward the listener. Even when the story is crushed under its own ambitious weight, the music picks up where the story plods on - a feat considering the repetition of riffs, used for continuity's sake in reprises, throughout the album. Meloy's persistence on wordplay and puns are sometimes heavy-handed ("Limber limbs akimbo") but often are effective ("I was wedded and it whetted my thirst"). The central tensions in the album include rape, infanticide, abduction and thwarted love. The album's villains, comprising a vengeful queen, a vociferous rake and other miscellaneous ne'er-do-wells, are often accompanied by heavier music - arguably the heaviest of The Decemberists' noted indie-influences. The fated lovers, a shape-shifting fawn and Margaret, have softer melodies.
As concept albums have increasingly become the next "go-to" step for musicians to prove themselves or test their mettle (Green Day, Sufjan Stevens, The Who, Yes, and Jay-Z), The Decemberists have always seemed like the ones to do it and successfully pull it off. Colin Meloy's fascination with where myth and history intersect has been the subject of The Decemberists' music since its inception, with each album drawing from a particular influence or motif. 2003's "Her Majesty" used nautical language while 2006's "The Crane Wife" had Japanese folk-influences. It was only a matter of time before Meloy created his own narrative.
This isn't to say the narrative is wholly original. It follows the prototypical arc for a romance narrative - lovers meet, separate and unite somewhere along the way. It is often obtuse, dense, and complicated, but repeated listens reward the listener. Even when the story is crushed under its own ambitious weight, the music picks up where the story plods on - a feat considering the repetition of riffs, used for continuity's sake in reprises, throughout the album. Meloy's persistence on wordplay and puns are sometimes heavy-handed ("Limber limbs akimbo") but often are effective ("I was wedded and it whetted my thirst"). The central tensions in the album include rape, infanticide, abduction and thwarted love. The album's villains, comprising a vengeful queen, a vociferous rake and other miscellaneous ne'er-do-wells, are often accompanied by heavier music - arguably the heaviest of The Decemberists' noted indie-influences. The fated lovers, a shape-shifting fawn and Margaret, have softer melodies.
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