How I found The Decemberists, (a bit of background info):
So, one day, I was putting books away at the library, cause that's what i do. And, I saw some biography book on Indie Rock. I opened it up and randomly came to a page with a picture of a five piece band of four guys and one lady playing some less than normal instruments. I came home, looked their videos up on youtube, and downloaded their music. I downloaded their latest album: "The Hazards of Love" and fell in love with it.
{that's some awesome vine typography there, thanks wikipedia!}I think the best way to describe it is being a rock/folk opera. The entire album is based around one story. Apparently, the story goes (according to ole' Wikipedia):
The Hazards of Love centers around a love story, similar to the use of recurring stories in a woman named Margaret (voiced by Stark) falls in love with a shape-shifting boreal forest (Taiga) dweller named William (voiced by Meloy). A jealous forest queen (voiced by Worden), the villainous Rake (also voiced by Meloy) and an ensemble of recurring characters bring conflict to the album's story arc.
I'm the kind of guy that likes to listen to entire albums all the way through, in lossless, with my Sennheiser HD 280 headphones on, in some kind of musical bliss. You hear everything that the artist meant to be heard, and (somethings that probably were not mean to be heard.) It takes some patience to not just skip a track when you don't like the beginning, but the album was put in that order for a reason. Anyway, this album is PERFECT for doing that. In fact, the order of it is one of the major aspects that makes it so good. The story goes back and forth between different characters in this so-called rock opera and makes for an awesome experience.
I will say my favorite tracks on the album are (right now, it changes often when i here new things): The Hazards of Love 1, Won't Want for Love, The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid, Annan Water. I had a hard time picking those even, because the level of effort is quite high on ALL the songs. The Hazards of Love 1 sets the tone for the entire album with some great lyrics in it, my favorite being "Oh the hazards of love, You'll learn soon enough the prettiest whistles won't wrestle the thistles undone." Won't Want for Love has an awesome beat and expertly introduces the female vocalist. The Wanting Comes in Waves is a perfectly done dialogue between two characters in two different songs that complement each other perfectly. Annan Water is one of the many songs on the album that truly shows the power of Colin Meloy's vocals.
Another awesome aspect of the album, and the The Decemberists for that matter, is the instruments. Everything from organs to electrical guitars to synthesisers really bring out the retro/rock/folk sound I think they were going for. And the steel guitar used in The Hazards of Love 4 is perfect. It adds that perfect country love song sound which was perfect for the final song.
If i had to pick one that would be done differently it would probably be "The Hazards of Love 3 (Revenge!)" because of the children singing. Not that its a bad song, its just that the beginning starts off really, really awesome-like... and then its children singing. Although the combination of errie guitar squeaks and children's voices match The Decemberists style perfectly, it is probably one of the only low points of the entire album though. But even so, I still respect the creative idea.
Random tidbit: If you are still a bit skeptical... I was looking through WWE magazine (yes, the wrestling one...) as I was putting it away and I was surprised to see that they reviewed The Hazards of Love. Even they liked it, giving it a 4/5 stars! I thought they were too wrapped up in their "badass-ness" and fake wrestling to enjoy good music, but I was apparently wrong... =P
If you're already a fan of The Decemberists, definitely check out this album. It's definitely the most replayable of all of them. Whether its the best or not is a bit hard to compare because of the change in format (this album being more than just a "collection" of songs). Meloy truely succeeds at the "rock opera" idea he was going for.
If you absolutely hate The Decemberists, it wouldn't hurt to listen too, but there is nothing too too different in their sound to change your opinion.
If you have never heard of The Decemberists, I give it my highest recommendation.
Check it out now!
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