Where Balloons Go

Music Review – The Hazards of Love

This is my first review post. It won’t be formatted like most other reviews (there won’t be a rating system and other such ~professionalism~). None of my reviews of anything will be completely negative, as I wouldn’t spend my time reviewing something if I didn’t like it. I also have very little technical knowledge when it comes to music (and only slightly more when it comes to film) so if you’re looking for a review that speaks of melodic lines and other such pretentiousness that has nothing to do with how enjoyable the album/film is, you should most likely go somewhere else.

So, now that I’ve got that out the way: The Hazards of Love, the fifth studio album from The Decemberists. Collaborators on the album include Becky Stark and Shara Worden — both of whom are from bands I’ve never listened to. Hazards is a concept album that tells the story of the doomed love between Margaret (sung by Stark) and William (sung by Decemberists’ lead singer Colin Meloy). Other characters include the villains the Queen (Worden) and the Rake (Meloy again). The album is seventeen songs long and I recommend that you listen to the entire thing through on your first listen, so you might want to set aside some time.

When it comes to the actual music, the album has the full mix of the normal Decemberists’ offering, plus a bit extra. There are the expected calm, pretty songs (“The Hazards of Love 2 (Wager All)”, “The Hazards of Love 4 (The Drowned)”) and the typical faster-paced folksy ones (“The Rake’s Song”, “Annan Water”). But the majority of this album falls into a new category, one that this band has touched upon before but never explored to this depth. The best examples of the overall style of this album are: “Won’t Want For Love” with its almost-metal rock guitar riffs overlaying Stark’s vocals (for which only words like “sweet” and “pretty” come to mind) and “The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid,” the duet between Meloy’s William and Worden’s Queen. The latter might be my favorite song on the album, with Worden’s powerhouse vocals perfectly conveying her character’s rage and Meloy’s almost-whining voice displaying a clear sense of pleading (though it occasionally borders on the obnoxious).

Worden almost overshadows the other players in the album, and would completely if it weren’t for Meloy’s turns as the Rake and the songs where Stark gets to demonstrate her true range (song where this doesn’t happen: “Isn’t it a Lovely Night?”). Upon multiple listens, I’ve found that the first songs in the album become a bit of a drag, with the real enjoyment starting at “The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid.” The story can also be a bit confusing unless one listens closely, and even then not all questions are answered (which, presumably, is why Meloy said the album would not work as a musical).

Overall, whether you want to follow the story or not (and you should want to), The Hazards of Love is an enjoyable album that showcases all the Decemberists’ considerable talent, as well as that of the skillful collaborators. The music is at times exhilarating, haunting, and even fun — though I feel slightly immoral for describing a song about murdering your children as “fun.” It’s definitely an album that will lodge itself in your memory and one you will find yourself returning to on long car rides and rainy days.

Note: Certain songs from this album can be found on the box.net widget on this page. I strongly recommend that you go out and buy the album instead of just taking advantage of that for repetitive listens.

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