THE HAZARDS OF LOVE

Even though I had been mildly impressed by the band's last album and hearing great things about 'The Hazards Of Love,' it still exceeded by expectations. The Decemberists take on a much different sound than many of the cookie-cutter prog bands that are coming out today, and what is being called by professional critics and typical listeners alike as one of the greatest albums to come out this year certainly deserves it's praise.

'The Hazards Of Love' is no jaw-dropping spectacle of musicianship. Nor is it heavy on strange sounds, or weird effects. While I've probably listened to more mind-blowing music in my time, it's rare that an album with this warmth comes along; especially considering it's a concept album revolving around creatures of the fantastic.

Like many concept albums, 'The Hazards of Love' flows as if it could be a single composition, with no gaps in between the segments of music. There are interludes and all one would expect from a rock opera; the story of which I haven't been able to decipher quite yet. From what I can ascertain however, Meloy and company tell the story of a woman named Margaret, and her quest for love. She meets a fawn named William and things start to get interesting from there...

The lyrics in this album are genius, perhaps even more so than the music itself. While it's hard enough to write a story in poetic form as it were, Colin Meloy fits in so much wordplay and rich imagery into his words that it makes reading the lyric booklet alone an enjoyable experience.

Due to the fact that the album works as a single song cycle, there are alot of recurring themes in the music. Almost too many, as at times; it feels like one is listening to an alternative take of the first half of the work. Even so, I can surely understand this and it does wonders for the cohesion as a piece. That kept in mind, it's an album that must be listened from start to finish to enjoy it completely.

This is definately one of the best musical discoveries I've made in quite a while, and for anyone that dismisses this band of talented musicians as simply a typical indie folk band should check this out. Total masterpiece.

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