The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love (2009)

Steve:

After the early 1990s, it became fairly common to encounter an old-style progressive rock album from a fresh new band. But by the 2000s, for a variety of reasons I had stopped actively seeking out progressive rock acts and turned instead to "indie rock" for inspiration. I followed publications such as Spin magazine, which would occasionally point me to interesting bands. My first revelation was a band called The Fiery Furnaces, whose 2004 album Blueberry Boat was touted as a sprawling progressive opus. Sure enough, it was, and in an entirely new idiom for me, blending Zappa-like musical shifts with electronics and urgent, Dada-esque vocalizations that were a wake-up call that progressive rock continued to thrive beyond the predictable format of the more traditional bands who populated the prog festivals.

With renewed expectations, it came as a surprise when The Decemberists entered the scene. They were marketed as an "indie" band, but tended towards long folky epics, with accordions and tales of maritime revenge. "Indie" tag notwithstanding, they seemed like the reincarnation of the fairytale-spinning prog storytellers of yore. I took notice when The Tain EP (2004), Picaresque (2005), and The Crane Wife (2006) hit the shelves, the latter being their first on a major label - Capitol. But for the most part, these albums felt like a lot of bluster and bombast without enough to keep me interested in the long term. 

Enter The Hazards of Love, an album I approached with low expectations. To my surprise, it's an immediately captivating album that develops an operatic story both musically and lyrically at a perfect pace, with shades of light and dark in balanced proportion. Even before I understood what the story was about (recall from prior posts that I rarely pay attention to lyrics without a concerted effort), I followed the emotion of the story through its dramatic build ups, its reprisal/reuse of key musical themes, and its expert use of guest singers to bring characters to life. In 2009, I proudly claimed this to be my favorite album of the year, and each subsequent hearing reinforces that opinion. It's one of the best rock operas I've ever heard.  

So what is it about? Colin Meloy (guitar, vocals) is the leader of this outfit, and he composed all but one of the pieces (keyboardist Jenny Conlee's organ/synth intro). The story is in the mold of a classic Shakespearean tragedy along the lines of Romeo and Juliet - forbidden lovers who triumph over their fate by ultimately ending their lives together in the name of love. I recommend reading the fine synopsis on Wikipedia for further details.

For some examples of what puts this concept album in an elite class, consider first the clever recurring musical themes. There are formally four parts to the title track, spread throughout the program, each of which culminates in a similar manner but frames a different situation and arrives from a different musical idea. Likewise, "The Bower Scene" and "Margaret in Captivity" appear early in the first and second acts respectively, using the same ominously suspenseful music to prop up different scenes.

Next, the guest singers on this album really shine. The jealous and vengeful Forest Queen appears on two tracks ("The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid" and "The Queen's Rebuke") voiced by Shara Worden, who offers a thoroughly convincing performance that gives me goosebumps. Margaret, the protagonist, is given a vulnerable reading by guest singer Becky Stark. Colin Meloy voices most of the other characters, and he gets deep into each one to bring them to life.

Maybe the best example of this album’s expert craft is the transition from “Isn’t it a Lovely Night?” to “The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid”. The former is a sweet, peaceful number led by a lovestruck accordion melody. The latter begins abruptly just as the former’s last note fades, with a variation on the same melody, but in a minor key played staccato on the harpsichord. One can almost see the jealous Queen bursting into the room and discovering the lovers. 

The Hazards of Love is the last album I ever listened to by the Decemberists. I decided, rightly or wrongly, that anything they did after it would be disappointing. I had also heard that their follow-up, The King is Dead (2011), was a "return to the roots", a sign of disaster in my narrow mind. (I tend to shy away from overly folksy or country music made in the name of "going back to the roots" due to biases on my part, so I accept responsibility for that.) But even if I do return to the band's work, I suspect that The Hazards of Love will prove to an example of "lightning in a bottle" - a miracle that only happens once, and I would be extremely surprised to learn that further works of equal quality were still in them. If you've heard them, please feel free to prove me wrong. 

Dan:

My first exposure to the genre of rock opera was with The Who's Tommy, released in 1969 and a huge, unexpected hit. Musical theater had also adopted rock scores with a psychedelic flavor, such as Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar, and others. It was hard to escape this subgenre even as it sprawled beyond its limitations. Prog rockers frequently revisited the theme of a long-form narrative, such as Genesis' The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. Of course, as a Camel fan, I was used to themed albums about snow geese, marooned soldiers, human migration, and other inspirations of the team of Susan Hoover and Andrew Latimer.

I was also fairly well versed in classic opera, thanks to my mother who loved to listen to the live broadcasts from the Met on Saturday afternoons. She would explain the stories to me; she and I were both fond of Wagner. My parents also had several of the comic operettas by Gilbert and Sullivan (The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado, among others), which I remember well. 

None of that prior experience prepared me for my first encounter with The Hazards of Love a few months ago. After reading a brief summary of the story online, I was not impressed and could not imagine how such a mundane fantasy could be worthy of a rock opera. But as I heard the music, I understood what the fuss was about. So I looked forward to the time that I would revisit The Hazards of Love for the blog.

The second full session of listening revealed so much more than my first exposure. It's a beautifully crafted suite that does not seem like an opera but rather an integrated collection of songs that form a magnificent whole. I love the recurring themes that work like motifs in classical music - Wagner would be proud. I also appreciate the variety of musical sounds that The Decemberists create collectively. I hear organ, accordion, banjo, steel guitar, and strings providing accents in all the right places in and around the basic guitar-based instrumentation. The recording is outstanding for a standard CD. Clearly, Colin Meloy is a great musician with a convincing singing voice, but he is also a master conceptualizer. Hazards of Love is a masterpiece. 

Unlike Steve, I was tempted to explore The King Is Dead (2011) as I'm not afraid of "roots" music such as alt country and bluegrass. I can confirm that there is an abundance of rootsiness on display in The King Is Dead. Lots of banjo, fiddle, mandolin, tambourine, acoustic 12-string guitar, etc. It's not bad, but its impact is not close to that of The Hazards of Love. I would compare the "new" Decemberists to The Jayhawks but lacking the sublime vocal harmonies between Gary Louris and Mark Olson. Meloy's vocals might benefit from moderation with backing harmonies, the way Steve Earle was able to use Emmylou Harris and Lucinda Williams. Meloy also ain't got 'nuff backwoods twang for full membership in the alt country crowd.