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The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love CD (album) cover

THE HAZARDS OF LOVE

The Decemberists

 

Prog Folk

4.07 | 304 ratings

From Progarchives.com, the ultimate progressive rock music website

Malex
4 stars The Decemberists have made a slow but steady progression over time, from Indie Pop to Folk Prog. The wonderful the Crane Wife was a sign of what was to come, and with this album they finally deserve their spot on this site.

This is a concept album, similar to Genesis The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, in that it is divided into a number of songs, but still is a continous piece of music. Similarly to the Lamb, it also tells a story, that progresses through the album. To continue the comparison to the Lamb, this album is shorter (obviously), more cohesive (Lamb sounds a bit 'chopped up' to me). Also the story is easier to grasp. The album revolves around a silly story about a girl meeting a boy. The boy has lived all his life in a forest, under the protection of the forest queen, and at day he roams around in the form of a fawn. The story also features a villain and a tragic ending. Musically the album is quite satisfactory. The individual songs are often quite simple in their structure, but the concept and the reocurring themes in the music still gives you that proggy feeling. The sound is heavier than their earlier albums, while some songs still are soft and folky. It wasn't as easily likeable as their other offerings, but it grew on me. They still use a lot of different instruments, and the music is often centred around Colin Meloys acoustic guitar. The album also features two guest singers, playing the role of Margaret (the girl), and the Queen, in the story. This makes the story come to life in a nice way.

All in all a solid effort, that whetts your thirst for what may come in the future, as they grow more experienced at producing prog.

4 stars!

Malex | 4/5 |

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