Everyone's favorite "kings among runaways,"The Decemberists, have gone and done it again. Combining witty lyrics with lush rock arrangements seems like an impossible task, but Colin Meloy and company have made a successful career out of it.
For their second album on major label Capitol the band have picked up where their last release, The Crane Wife, left off. Hazards is by no means a sequel to Crane Wife, rather it expands on the band's successful story telling rock songs. However, while the Crane Wife was only partially oriented to the Japanese myth of the same name, Hazards of Love is a rock opera devoted to the story of Margaret.
It is a record that flows from start to finish. And while it has been billed as a "rock opera," there is as much folk as there is rock.
This is not a record of singles like previous releases. Rather, this record is best enjoyed in its full context. This may vex some fans looking for a quick fix, but for those willing to set aside an hour of listening pleasure, this is a treat.
The album reaches its stride by track 8, "The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid," which is a back and forth dialogue between Meloy and his guest vocalist.
There are also a number of potential sing-alongs, including "The Hazards of Love 3 (Revenge!)" which features the creepy chorus of corpse children.
Overall, it is an exciting outing that showcases the band's mastery of storytelling, song writing, and instrumentation. While it does seem to start out slow, it holds to the operatic structure by building up to a strong climax before settling into the denouement.
| 1 | Prelude | |
| 2 | The Hazards of Love 1 (The Prettiest Whistles Won't Wrestle the Thistles Undone) | |
| 3 | A Bower Scene | |
| 4 | Won't Want for Love (Margaret in the Taiga) | |
| 5 | The Hazards of Love 2 (Wager All) | |
| 6 | The Queen's Approach | |
| 7 | Isn't it a Lovely Night? | |
| 8 | The Wanting Comes in Waves / Repaid | |
| 9 | An Interlude | |
| 10 | The Rake's Song | |
| 11 | The Abduction of Margaret | |
| 12 | The Queen's Rebuke / The Crossing | |
| 13 | Annan Water | |
| 14 | Margaret in Captivity | |
| 15 | The Hazards of Love 3 (Revenge!) | |
| 16 | The Wanting Comes in Waves (Reprise) | |
| 17 | The Hazards of Love 4 (The Drowned) |
